Some Kind of Monster
by InhumanNexus
Summary: Ichigo thought becoming a Hollow was the worst thing that could happen to him. Not once had he considered that he would become the strongest Arrancar in existence. Feared by all, respected by most, and loved by one, Ichigo finds life not so bad after all.
1. Not Ready to Die

**Cause I wrote the second Author's Note first, this will just be a standard opening Author's Note. The info you might want will be in the second Author Note at the bottom.**

**Hello there! Welcome to my new story, Some Kind of Monster(cookie if you guess what I'm using as the title) This will be an Arrancar Ichigo story. Yes, I'm adding an arrancar Ichigo story to the small collection. Hopefully, my psychotic and, occasionaly, 'under the influence of methamphetamines' ideas will be up to par :D**

**Disclaimer:*Drawn-out sigh* Do I even have too? if I owned Bleach, you'd know. Considering a few select female Arrancar would be a lot more active in canon and hareming Ichigo :P**

_**(Some Kind of Monster)**_

**(Hueco Mundo)**

A tall individual shuffled his way through the white sands of Hueco Mundo with a solemn look about him. Well, one couldn't tell, given the appearance of this 'person'.

'_No one.'_ He would have frowned if he could. _'Not since I evolved into what I am now have I seen any other living being.' _

Now standing just over six feet in height was, the once human, Ichigo Kurosaki. Though, you couldn't recognize him now from his appearance. What had once been an, almost, average teenage boy was now a Hollow, and though he had nothing to compare it to, an extremely powerful one at that.

What had once been slightly tanned skin was now completely albino, whiter than the moon that was always there in the sky. The only other color on his body made themselves known as thin, black, streaks that made their way up his arms, legs, and encircled the hole that was situated where his heart had once been.

Two curved horns protruded from either side of his skull, both pointing forward. At their base was a mask that resembled a human skull, though only slightly larger than an average one. Just like on his arms and legs, a couple of black streaks came down from the top of his skull, down to his jaw, almost looking like tribal markings. Just behind the two eyeholes was a pair of eyes. Though, with yellow sclera and pitch black pupils, one couldn't say they were normal.

His hands were now weapons. Five sickening black claws replaced his fingers, which stood out on his mostly white arm. Ichigo had noted that these claws made it rather difficult to grip the cleaver-like blade that had been resting in the dirt next to him upon his transformation, but had become accustomed to the awkward feel. Though, he hadn't had the chance to test it out on a living target.

His waist down to his shins were covered in what appeared to be some sort of black cloth, though this had confused Ichigo at first, considering he hadn't been wearing any form of clothing while he had been an adjuchas.

His hair color had remained the same, something Ichigo took great satisfaction in. While it did reach down to his lower back, almost like a mane, it remained the same color. Even if it did make him a walking target, bright orange sticking out like a sore thumb in all the white, Ichigo was grateful.

'_Even here, my hair makes me stand out_.' He thought, almost humorously, but more in an attempt to cheer himself up.

While his time, clawing his way up, as a gillian and an adjuchas had certainly made him as strong as he was now, he had nothing to protect. No one at all. And if he had no one to protect, someone other than himself, what could he do?

What could he have done differently that night? Would having done anything different ended in a different outcome? Ichigo didn't like to think so. If there was something he could have done differently, then he got himself into this mess by his own stupidity, and that didn't sit too well with him.

**(A MONTH EARLIER/KARAKURA TOWN)**

"I'm home, sorry I'm la-."

Whatever excuse Ichigo was about to give was stopped abruptly by the foot that connected with the side of his head, sending him into the air and causing him to land in an awkward position. A tick mark was visible on his forehead.

"You let your guard down! Always remain alert when entering a room and you're late for dinner again!" Isshin Kurosaki changed the subject quickly with a scolding tone. Ichigo growled, stood up, and was immediately in his father's face.

"Come on! Is that anyway to welcome home your son after he helped a spirit find peace?" Ichigo yelled out at his dad.

"Silence! Oh, so it's the ghost's fault now, is it? I suppose it was ghosts that left your room a mess?" A fast-paced fist fight started between the two. "When're you going to learn some responsibility?" Isshin asked amidst it all.

Yuzu and Karin Kurosaki both watched the fight for a couple of seconds, before Yuzu spoke up, sounding distraught. "Hey! Stop fighting, you two! Get over here and eat your dinner!"

"Ha-ha!" Isshin declared victoriously from atop Ichigo, just finishing his arm-bar on Ichigo's left arm… before he was easily thrown off back into the wall.

"Gah! Get off my case old man!" Ichigo yelled, pointing at Isshin with a glare.

"Ngh, good one." Isshin groaned out, in pain.

"So, who was it this time?" Karin asked in her usual monotone. Ichigo turned to look at her. Crossing his arms, he answered.

"Eh, just some girl. No big deal." Ichigo said with a slight shrug, somewhat cooled off now that he was talking to someone who wasn't absolutely insane.

"Meh, figures. No luck with live ones so you go after dead ones." Karin replied, turning back to her meal, inwardly proud at herself at the jab.

"What the hell is that supposed-?"

"You let your guard down!" Isshin shouted, coming in with a right hook. The surprise attack was halted as Ichigo planted his fist into his father's face. The man slumped down in pain.

"Forget dinner, I'm going to bed." Ichigo told them through grit teeth. He spun and stormed upstairs. Yuzu tried to get his attention.

"Ichi-nii! Wait!" Her cry fell on deaf ears, however. Karin turned and looked down at her father.

"You really did it this time." She said, nudging him slightly with her foot. Isshin jumped up defensively.

"Me? What'd I do?" He asked in a whining tone, one you'd expect to hear from a small child.

**(Kurosaki Clinic/Upstairs)**

_'Another average day.' _Ichigo thought to himself, tossing his bag across his room upon entering. He immediately made for the bed, intending to get some sleep, but tripped as he took his fourth step into his room. Regaining his footing, Ichigo looked down at the object he tripped on and scowled. Picking up his bat, he said, "Dammit Karin, if you're going to use my stuff, put it back where you found it."

Ichigo shook his head though, not really caring. He walked over to his bed and set it down against the wall as he literally crashed down on the sheets. Like he had called it, it had been an average day. Get up, go to school, fight off some punk, go home, meet a ghost or two, get assaulted by his dad, then go to bed. As boring as it sounded, he couldn't complain. He did feel a certain sense of pride at helping that ghost earlier, and that made it worth it.

As long as a day it had been, though, Ichigo got ready to go to sleep. Just before he closed his eyes, however, something caught his eye. A butterfly flew in front of him and rested on his nightstand.

"A black swallowtail butterfly? That's rare this time of year." Ichigo noted to himself. He sat up and reached out to try and touch it, but froze when something else caught his eye. Or rather someone.

Ichigo jumped up and put his back to his wall quickly, trying to get some distance from the person.

"What the-?" He asked aloud, incredulous. He glanced around the room but didn't see any signs of entry, but that's not what really caught his eye. What really caught his eye was the katana strapped to the person's waist. The intruder grasped the katana's hilt and spoke.

"It's close."

Now, Ichigo couldn't see the person's face, but quickly decided he didn't want too. That was all he needed to see. Someone mysteriously appears in his house armed with a sword, and that was it. Ichigo made a grab for the bat he had set aside a minute before and jumped towards the person.

"How's this for close, asshole?" Ichigo yelled at the person, swinging the bat to connect with the back of the burglar's head.

_Crack!_

And with that, the intruder slumped down onto the ground.

"..." Ichigo blinked. Crap. He hadn't meant to kill the person. He leant over and rolled the person on their back. It was a woman. Rather small in size with black hair that reached down to her lower neck. Putting his index and middle finger on the women's neck, Ichigo waited a couple of seconds.

A pulse.

Ok, good. She wasn't dead. Just unconcsious. But now what would he do with her?

"Dad! Get up here!" Ichigo called out. It only took a couple of seconds for the door to be kicked in, queuing his father's entry into his room.

"What's all the ruckus?" Isshin asked, in a mock-combat stance.

"What'dya mean, 'what's all the ruckus'? Take a look!" Ichigo growled out, pointing down at the girl. Isshin blinked.

"Uhh, take a look at what?" He asked, glancing around the room.

"What? Are you kidding me? The girl, stupid!" Ichigo replied, become increasingly more annoyed.

"What girl?" Isshin asked again, dropping out of his stance. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers and smirked in realization. "Oh, I get it. Son, have you been taking the stuff that all the cool kids are into?"

Ichigo blinked this time. "What? Taking the-I'm not on drugs, you old fool!"

"It's ok, son, I won't turn you in. So long as you give me some of it!" Isshin declared, giving Ichigo two thumbs up.

_Wham!_

And with that, Isshin was kicked out of Ichigo's room. Literally. Ichigo slammed the door upon his father's exit and turned back to look at the woman.

"Dammit." He said, exasperated. "Has the old man really gone blind?" He asked himself. Ichigo scratched the back of his head, thinking. A couple of seconds later, he reached the conclusion.

"Wait a minute. If dad couldn't see her, but I can... does that mean she's a spirit?" Ichigo asked aloud. "That must be it. Either that or _he's _on the stuff that 'all the cool kids are into'." He stated mockingly.

Ichigo took a couple steps forward and nudged the girl with his foot. "Hey, uh, wake up." Like he expected, it had no reaction. He sighed. It was too much to hope for, to get a good night's sleep. Why can't luck ever be on his side? Just one time?

**_RAAAWWWWRRRR!_**

Ichigo's head shot up at the blood curling howl that sent a sickening chill up his spine. _'What the hell was that?' _He thought to himself. Taking a few steps forward, cautiously, Ichigo looked out his window and scanned the street below.

Then, he saw it. A creature, no, a monster there outside in the street, walking slowly. Even though the beast was hunched, Ichigo could easily tell that it was as tall, if not taller, than his house if it stood up all the way. It was mostly green, with spots of black on it's body. Very long arms and legs led down to almost human looking hands and feet. It's face was covered by what looked like a white mask. Either that, or that was it's face.

Suddenly, the monster turned sharply towards Ichigo's house. It walked forward, into Ichigo's blind spot from his window. While he couldn't see the thing anymore, the loud crash and rumble that shook the house gave way to what had just happened. It had attacked his home, and that was the only thing that needed to go through Ichigo's head for him to turn and make for his door.

Ichigo stopped as he grasped the doorknob. He turned around and looked at the still unconscious spirit. He stepped towards her, bent down, and grabbed her katana, almost ripping it from her side. With a weapon in-hand, Ichigo quickly opened his door and ran downstairs.

**(Downstairs)**

When Ichigo arrived downstairs, the first thing he saw was his dad slumped up against the wall. Blood was splashed on the floor under him and on the wall behind him. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and looked towards the giant hole in the wall.

There it was. The creature. The first thing Ichigo saw was the last he needed to. It had Yuzu in it's massive hand. Ichigo grasped the hilt to the katana and hastily unsheathed the blade, tossing the scabbard to the side.

"Hey! You fish-faced freak!" Ichigo yelled out, running towards the creature. It looked away from Yuzu and at Ichigo. "Pick on someone your own size!"

_Wham!_

Ichigo was thrown like a rag doll out into the street, having been hit in his side by the monster's free hand. He groaned and stood up, before smirking slightly. He watched, with some satisfaction, as the creature dropped Yuzu and examined it's right hand, or rather, the cut in between it's thumb and index finger. It then looked over at him.

"Yeah, that's right. Come and get me, you bastard." Ichigo challenged, holding the katana in a basic stance rather awkwardly. The monster growled and suddenly began running at Ichigo at a speed that surprised him, considering it's size. "Ah, shi-."

_Whack!_

For a second time, Ichigo was thrown aside. Though, the difference be a wall broke his airtime, rather than the ground. Groaning once more, Ichigo stood himself up again, wiping away some blood that trailed out of his mouth. He managed to smirk again. "This time, I'll get you. I got you figured out."

Holding the katana the same way as before, though a little more loosely, Ichigo waited for the creature to make a move. When it began advancing towards him, Ichigo remained in spot. As before, when the monster got close enough to Ichigo, it stopped it's run and swung it's arm to strike Ichigo again. This time, Ichigo was ready.

Barreling forward, into the creature's reach, Ichigo dodged the palm-strike. Running in between the creature's legs, Ichigo swung and left a good size gash on the inside of the monster's thigh. It roared in pain.

"Ha!" Ichigo said victoriously, putting some distance between him and the beast. _'Maybe I can't beat this thing, but I can at least try and discourage it. Whatever it wants, it can't be worth getting cut up.'_

Ichigo stopped his train of thought as the creature moved. He watched as it slowly stood up all the way. Just as he had guessed before, it was well over his house in height. "Crap... I just pissed it off."

Moving it's head, the beast stared down at Ichigo intently. A bead of sweat dripped down Ichigo's head as he stared back at it, keeping a shaky grip on the katana. It took only a few seconds of this for Ichigo to snap. He let out a war cry and ran towards the beast, ready to swing. The barbaric charge was halted abruptly and embarrassingly as the monster simply whacked Ichigo aside with a palm-strike into the wall next to them.

Before Ichigo could try and get himself up again, the creature slammed both of it's fists into the concrete on either side of Ichigo. It's face was only a couple of feet away from Ichigo now.

**_ROOOOAAAARRRR!_**

Bits of saliva hit landed on Ichigo that had escaped from the beast's open maw. Having had averted his face during that small display of dominance, Ichigo turned back to look at the creature in the eyes.

"Fuck you."

_Shuck._

Ichigo managed to weakly stab forward and impale the creature's left shoulder, sinking the blade in halfway. His grip on the katana was lost as the monster reared back and howled in pain. It brought it's fist up, high in the air. When it was brought down, Ichigo closed his eyes and braced himself for the hammer-fist

Like that did much.

_Squish._

**(...)**

Ichigo opened his eyes, blinking twice in slight confusion. Had it been a dream? The question was quickly answered when his mind registered the open night sky above him. Sitting up, Ichigo looked around, trying to piece together what had happened. The first thing that caught his eye was himself. Or rather, what used to be him. His corpse under him was in a small hole in the concrete, flattened sickeningly and broken.

He had died.

Ichigo jumped up, startled at the sight and revelation. So he was a spirit now? Just great. Ichigo's expression turned somber as he looked down at his body once more. Then he looked up as another thought crossed his mind.

"Dad, Yuzu, Karin." Ichigo listed the names off in remembrance. He made to run back to his house, to at least see their conditions but stopped when a surprising noise was heard. Almost like metal rattling. he looked down at his chest. Just as it had sounded, there was a three foot chain hanging from a piece of metal where his heart would be. He grasped the chain at it's base and tugged lightly.

"Ow! Son of a-gah!" Ichigo cursed. That had hurt like hell.

"Ah, you're awake. Good."

Ichigo started and turned at the voice behind him. Standing a few meters away was a man. He was slightly taller than Ichigo, had light brown hair that looked a little unkept, and was wearing some glasses. He was also wearing a robe that resembled the spirit from before had been wearing, except this person had a white haori over it. "Who are you?" Ichigo asked, not expecting someone showing up.

Instead of a straight answer, the man only shook his head and took a few steps past Ichigo and regarded his corpse with a light smile. "I must say, Kurosaki-san, that this is a rather large disappointment." He said, his smile turning eerily friendly.

Ichigo stared at him for a couple seconds. "The hell's that supposed to mean? ... Are you Kami or something?" He asked, his eyes widening slightly at the possibility.

"Kami?" The man sounded amused. "Yes, I suppose you could say that's my title. Though, you can call me Aizen."

"Well, in that case, sorry to disappoint you, Aizen. Though, I really didn't expect to be forced to fight some demon." Ichigo said sarcastically. He glanced around. "Where'd it go anyway?"

"That 'demon' was a Hollow, and I took care of it. The same can't be said for that Shinigami you knocked out earlier." Aizen said condescendingly, still smiling. Ichigo started to panic. If that... wait, what'd he call her? Never mind. If she hadn't survived... then what about his family?

"What about my dad and sisters?" Ichigo asked, worried. "Are they alive?"

This time, Aizen looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry, Kurosaki-san. Your family is dead."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the answer. The wind started picking up. "Dead? That can't be." The wind blew harder.

"I'm sorry, but they are. You'll have to accept the fact, Kurosaki-san." Aizen said, getting a dark glint in his eyes.

Ichigo clenched his fist, now angry. No, scratch that. He was furious. The wind quickly formed a strong rotation around him and Aizen, kicking up rocks and dust and causing Aizen's robes to flutter violently. "No. They were alive! I'm sure of it!" The concrete underneath them split, a large tear appearing in the street for a block both ways. Ichigo roared in anger.

Before Ichigo attracted the attention of any Shinigami nearby, Aizen spoke up, though mostly speaking to himself. "Interesting. There might still be some use of you yet, Kurosaki-san."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo growled out, tearing his eyes from the ground to Aizen. He was surprised when Aizen was suddenly in front of him, holding the chain connected to his chest in his right hand casually.

"I'll let you figure it out for yourself." Aizen yanked on the chain strongly, breaking it and opening the hole in his chest. Ichigo roared in pain, stumbling back, clutching his chest. A rapid transformation began as the hole in his chest suddenly spilled out colors that seemingly wrapped itself around Ichigo's body. His arms and legs became longer, stained with red and black stripes that ran up them. His torso and stomach became larger as well, reaching close to what the Hollow from before had been. Again, red and black in color. His hair grew longer, much longer. It now rested at the lower part of his back, which was now larger from the transformation. To finish it all off, a mask formed on Ichigo's face. It covered his face, narrowing at the chin slightly, red streaks encircling the left eye. The rest of Ichigo's head was hidden from sight due to his hair.

The newly Hollowfyed Ichigo let out a loud roar, his horrible pain coming to an end. Aizen opened a garganta behind him, keeping his eyes on Ichigo. It was surprising, the amount of reiatsu coming from Ichigo, considering he was at the lowest stage of evolution. His reiatsu matched that of a mature Gillian, bordering immature adjuchas. He was right, there may be some use of the boy.

"Grow strong, Kurosaki-san." Aizen said, getting the quick attention of the Hollowfied Ichigo. "You probably won't remember the events of tonight, though it may be for the better."

Ichigo suddenly lashed out at Aizen, attempting to claw him. Aizen was now behind Ichigo, pointing at him with an outstretched arm. "Hado One, Sho." Ichigo was pushed into the garganta, it being closed behind him. "Do not disappoint me again, Kurosaki-san."

**(Hueco Mundo)**

Ichigo landed on all fours, causing a large wave of sand to be kicked up. When everything settled, Ichigo quickly looked around at his new surroundings. Nothing but sand, with some dead trees littered about, could be seen. His vision was blocked in the distance by dunes of the white sand. In the sky, a crescent moon shone brightly. The want to inspect the surrounding area was quickly forgotten as the events that had occurred over the past hour was remembered. It made Ichigo increasingly angry.

His family was dead. He was dead, and now this... thing! He had become what had killed him and his family. The thought infuriated him. Movement caught his eye and the presence of others filled his nostrils. It was other Hollows. A lot of them too. Ichigo didn't know what they wanted exactly, but recognized the want to kill him. It made him growl. Ichigo let out a loud roar before his massacre started.

**(Hueco Mundo/Present Time)**

Ichigo sighed. That was how it had happened. His anger had certainly fueled him to improve. At first, he hadn't been aware that killing and devouring the Hollows were making him stronger. Only when he was suddenly close to skyscraper height a couple days later did he realize it. No matter how awkward it had been to fight, he still continued. Finding others that had been like him in height was easy enough. It probably helped that he had wandered into that forest before evolving, otherwise it would have taken weeks to get there in that form. Devouring the other Gillian, and at the pace he had been doing it, it didn't take long for him to evolve once more.

This time, he had been smaller. Which was perfect. He found it easier to fight and kill in that form than it had been the very first and in his Gillian body. Over the next two and a half weeks, it was like he hadn't stopped fighting. Left and right, Gillian, Adjuchas, even regular Hollows fell by his claws. No matter the power increase he got from them, it all added up in the end. Out of all his fights, only one got away. A panther-like adjuchas. It wasn't like Ichigo had vowed to get the one that had escaped, he just liked to keep score.

Ichigo wasn't surprised he could remember the events of that night and everything up to the current moment perfectly. Sometimes, he wished he couldn't, but... oh well. He still hadn't figured out what Aizen had meant. He was powerful now, at least somewhat, Ichigo was sure. Maybe that's what Aizen had meant.

Wait, someone was nearby. At the edge of his senses, yes, but they were there. This had happened before, and Ichigo did the first thing that came to mind. Looking up, he powered a weakened cero and shot it off in the sky. It flew a good two, or so, hundred feet in the air before exploding in a vibrant display of red. While it would have scared off anyone weaker and incapable of rational thought, it was noticeably weak. Ichigo hoped that some other being would see it, see that it was just a signal, and approach him. It was too much to hope for, usually, but it was something.

Ichigo let out another sigh as whoever he had been sensing vanished. At this point, Ichigo wasn't too let down. He was used to it.

"Well, it appears you have lived up to, and exceeded, my expectations."

Ichigo didn't even have to look. "Aizen." He blinked in surprise. It was the first time he had used his voice since becoming a Vasto Lorde, and it surprised him. It almost sounded... twisted? Like trying to talk through water? He didn't know how to describe it. "This may sound strange, but it's good to see you again... well, someone I guess."

"I understand perfectly. The thought of traveling alone here for an extended period of time isn't too appealing." Aizen said, an all too friendly smile on his face. "How are you?"

Ichigo grunted. "Surviving." He said simply. "I can't help but think this isn't a coincidence." He added.

"You are correct. I've purposefully sought you out. You were rather easy to find, given your reiatsu." Aizen said, amused.

"Please get to the point." Ichigo requested, not interested in Aizen's attempts of sarcasm.

"I will be blunt with you, Kurosaki-san. I'm assembling an army." Aizen informed him.

"An army? Of Hollows?" Ichigo asked, interested. Aizen shook his head.

"No, no. Not Hollows. Arrancar." He said, interesting Ichigo further.

"Arrancar? I've... heard of them. Why are you telling me this? I'm obviously _not _an Arrancar." Ichigo pointed out.

"Not now. If you return with me, that problem can be taken care of." Aizen said, his smile increasing in size slightly.

Ichigo was pondering Aizen's obvious request. Follow him, turn into an Arrancar, and serve him. While Ichigo didn't seem to care for the thought much, it would be a vast improvement than what had been happening for him lately. Hell, it would be great to be around others that at least _looked _human.

"Aizen...sama." Ichigo said carefully. "I'll follow you."

Aizen's smile almost became a smirk, an unknown glint in his eyes. "Excellent. Come. There is much to be discussed on the way." He said, turning and walking away. Ichigo stared at him incredulously for a couple seconds. They were going to walk? Hopefully, their destination wasn't too far. Or they would only be walking while Aizen explains, what Ichigo assumed would be, conditions. Ichigo shook his head and began following Aizen.

_'Things should start getting interesting now.'_

**_(End of Chapter/Author's Note)_**

**Well, there you have it. I'll tell you honestly, this idea has been plaguing me ever since I jokingly came up with it close to a month and a half ago. Soon, ideas began to pour out and I fully believe I can do something with this.**

**To the readers of Breaking Routine(My IchigoxHarem story, involving Loly, Menoly, Apacci, Sun-Sun, and Lilynette): Sorry for the delay. As you can see, I am, in fact, back from Vegas and typing. Only thing is, my beta sent me a PM halfway through my vacation saying he'd be unable to have internet access for three weeks. ****Like I said, I couldn't help it and made this story. The pairing will be strictly IchigoxLoly. Though, Menoly will be in the story as well as Harribel and her fraccion. I just wanted to make a IchigoxLoly story... after all, there isn't one :D**

**If you have any concerns on the story or the chapter, please PM me or leave it in a review. If you follow B.R. then you know that I respond to every review... _every _review :P**

**Cause I'm uncreative in such things, my chapter names will be the name of the song that helped write it.**

**Band:Avenged Sevenfold**

**Song:Not Ready to Die**

_**You! Can't! Break! me! Crush the fears of yesterday. You! Can't! Save! Me! Barriers, our trust will fade. I stood in the dark, been waiting all this time. While we damn the dead, I'm trying to survive. I'm Not Ready to Die!**_

**There you have it. Please read and review. Constructive Criticism is welcome, but flamers will be hunted down and beaten up by me personally, I assure you.**


	2. Crawl

**Yep, here we are. Chapter Two. Due to me having a nasty habit of writing the second Author's Note first, I have nothing to say, really, and will go straight into the Review Corner!**

**halberd42:Thank you very much. Ichigo kicked Rukia in the manga/anime. I figured, if a blunt object had been within reach, he would have swung it at the burglar with a katana :P I will try and live up to your expectation of 'Good Work' :P**

**Farmer Kyle:Yes, yes. Maybe those couple of facts could've been done differently. But, I didn't want them too. I will simply say I never said it was Zangetsu for your first concern. The Shinigami robes, yes, I know they were there because he went from Shinigami to Hollow. The same thought crossed my mind while I was writing the description and, in the end, I was like "Screw it." and put it in... the story I mean. And for your last statement, me too :/**

**Purple Galaxy:Here I am! Continuing.**

**dbz wrting for fun:Maybe, maybe not on the Vasto Lorde bit. And to your Ichigo showing respect concern, I will say this. Simply saying someone's title, or adding the suffix, doesn't mean you actually respect them. I say 'President Obama' when I refer to him, but, I assure you, I do NOT respect that man. Quite frankly, worst president ever, but I'm getting off-topic. Saying the title anyway just avoids discussion about the lack of it, and Ichigo doesn't like pointless conversation, in my opinion.**

**Sentiment Remains:Thanks very much. One of the reasons I'm writing IchigoxLoly fics is because A:It's, potentially, a good pairing and B:Cause there's not a lot of them. The 'sama' bit was answered in dbz's review. So, can you please refer to that instead of me having to type it all out again? XP By the way, this is just a joke, but everytime I read your penname, Metallica's "Memory Remains" starts playing in my head, but instead of it going "but the memory remains!" it goes "but the Sentiment Remains!" XD**

**darkmachines:Thank you. I have plans for Ichigo's interactions with the other Arrancar, and I will leave it at that :P Thanks, hopefully I can get some work in on B.R**

**OpenSourceArtist:Like I've told you before, it's an honor for you to review(Even if it's really just a courtesy, and not an overall opinion XD) Hopefully the plot will appeal to you when things are set in motion.**

**Umbra8191:Sorry if the update was a little too long of a wait :/ Maybe not to you, but a week of not updating a story of mine just gets to me**

**Rikujokoro:Thank you, hell yeah, and hell yeah. I hope your curiosity will remain piqued :P P.S. *Throws up double 'Horns'* Rock on, brother. Metallica f%&#in rules!**

**Desuse:Currently, nothing terribly bad or good has happened to Ichigo since becoming a Hollow, so he's kinda reserving judgment. After all, it wasn't like he was torn away from his life. He believes his family to be dead, his own fault too. (Not just his dad and sisters, he already blamed himself for his mother's death)**

**EVA-saiyajin:Sorry about there being no new update for B.R. but here's a new chapter for this story! I'm also glad you liked the whole 'Rukia getting knocked out' stick. I do try and make somewhat believeable ways that the plot can go A/U :P**

**MadmanTobz:Sorry if that annoys you, but I think I must point out that it never says Rukia is dead in this story. And if it's any consoltation, Rukia will be in the next chapter of B.R**

**And that'll wrap up the Review Corner for today. Hope you enjoy!**

**(Hueco Mundo/Ichigo and Aizen)**

"So, Aizen-sama." Ichigo started, deciding to be the first to break the brief silence between the two of them. "You said army. Army for what?" He asked, already having a good idea as to what.

"The answer is simple, Kurosaki-san. For war." Aizen answered simply.

"With?" Ichigo continued.

"The Shinigami, of course." Aizen told him, turning back slightly to look at Ichigo out of the corner of his eye.

"Mind if I ask why?" Ichigo asked curiously, tilting his head slightly.

"Not at all. I do need my top soldier well-informed, after all." Aizen replied, waiting for Ichigo's reaction to the statement.

"Top Soldier? You think so?" Ichigo looked a little surprised and humbled, which Aizen had expected.

"Oh yes. While you haven't met most of your new allies, I can say you are much stronger than them." Aizen informed, looking forward again.

"How do you know?" Ichigo questioned further.

"You are not a broken corpse at the moment." Ichigo would've raised an eyebrow if he could. "Since the moment I arrived I have been focusing a good amount of reiatsu on you, which you haven't seemed to have even noticed." Aizen explained casually.

"You gauge my strength based on that?" Ichigo asked.

"Your reiatsu reserves at least. Any of the other Arrancar wouldn't be standing." Aizen said, thinking back to several occasions it had to be used to get some Espada under control. Namely, Nnoitra, Grimmjow, Yammy, and Baraggan on one occasion.

"We're getting off-topic." Ichigo said with a sigh, not incredibly interested on the subject of his strength.

"Yes, I suppose we are." Aizen agreed, looking off to the right in thought. "Most of the Arrancar simply hate Shinigami, and that's reason enough for them to follow me. I… have my own reasons."

When it was obvious Aizen wasn't going to say anything about his motives, Ichigo decided to change the subject. "Earlier, you said I haven't met _most _of my new allies."

"Nothing seems to get by you, Kurosaki-san. I suppose I did, didn't I?" Aizen stated in a very patronizing tone, something Ichigo twitched in annoyance at. "I believe you encountered one Grimmjow Jeagerjeaques as an adjuchas." Aizen told him, answering the question.

The name sounded vaguely familiar, but if Aizen said he had encountered Grimmjow, then that would mean Grimmjow was the one panther adjuchas that got away. That reunion should be a cheerful one.

"Given Grimmjow's personality, it surprised me that he brought up your name at an Espada meeting." Aizen started, dropping the word Espada 'absent-mindedly'. "Nothing was said I didn't already know, but still, it was surprising."

"Espada?" Ichigo questioned simply, catching the word in Aizen's statement.

"How silly of me, I almost forgot." Again, that patronizing tone surfaced. "The Espada are the ten strongest Arrancar in my army. Ranked weakest to strongest, from ten to zero."

"Would it be safe to say I'll be an Espada?" Ichigo asked almost humorously.

"It would. I would like to bestow to you the rank of Cero Espada, but that would be unfair to the Arrancar who currently holds that title." Aizen said, appearing to be contemplating the 'dilemma'. Ichigo already knew what Aizen was planning, but decided to play along.

"Is it possible to challenge an Espada for their rank?" He asked, feigning ignorance.

"As a matter of fact, it is. Excellent. Not only will you get the rank we both know you deserver, but this will be the perfect opportunity to show the other Espada and Arrancar how strong you are." Aizen replied, acting as if he was excited about the idea. "And for me to see just how strong you've become."

'_Slowly but surely, this guy is getting on my nerves.' _Ichigo thought to himself. "How much further?"

"Not too far, I suppose. Though, for time's sake, we can pick up the pace." Aizen answered, which got a sigh of relief from Ichigo. "Please try and keep up." Aizen subtly challenged, before disappearing with pure speed.

Ichigo actually scoffed at the challenge before vanishing as well, following Aizen as closely as he could.

**(Outside of Las Noches)**

Aizen was fast, Ichigo concluded as they came to a stop. Over the course of the 'run', Aizen had been speeding up gradually. Ichigo easily matched whatever speed Aizen threw at him for a while, but it was soon becoming strenuous. If they hadn't stopped when they did, Ichigo was sure he would have started to fall behind.

"Las Noches." Aizen's statement tore Ichigo from his thoughts. Now paying attention, Ichigo looked ahead.

Ichigo blinked in surprise. In the distance was a massive palace. Or was it a fortress? Either way, it was enormous. "Couldn't go a little bigger?" He asked sarcastically.

"I assure you, Las Noches is quite capable of accommodating any need you may have." Aizen replied, not amused at the sarcasm.

"If you say so." Ichigo shrugged. "What'll we do first?"

"First, you will be put through Shinigamification. Once you are an Arrancar, you may decide whether you would like to get some rest or meet your future brethren. If you wish to rest, you will be shown to some temporary quarters. It'd be perfectly reasonable that you would like to be comfortable for the first time in a good month." Aizen answered, that all too friendly smile surfacing again.

"Alright." Ichigo nodded. "Let's get this started already."

"Yes, I agree. I must say, I am looking forward to seeing how strong you will become after the transformation. "Aizen told Ichigo, turning back to Las Noches.

"Me too."

With that, they both took off again.

**(Las Noches)**

"Kurosaki-san, allow me to introduce my two partners." Aizen seemed to use the word loosely. "Ichimaru Gin."

"Nice to meet'cha." Gin greeted, being incredibly friendly. Ichigo knew right away he would have to watch out for him. He was getting a bad vibe. Ichigo nodded in return.

"And Kaname Tosen." Aizen finished, gesturing to the other man.

"Greetings." Tosen said neutrally. Ichigo could tell right away that he was blind. Tosen wasn't looking at him, just acknowledging his presence by facing his direction.

"Nice to meet you." Ichigo replied, going for a verbal greeting instead of a physical one this time.

"Shall we get started?" Aizen asked aloud, proceeding to the center of the room. Ichigo nodded and followed quietly, waiting to be instructed on what to do. "Please stand there, Kurosaki-san."

Ichigo did as he was told and stood directly in the center of the room, in front of a small pedestal. With Ichigo in position, Aizen began the procedure.

Tapping the pedestal with his right index finger, Aizen allowed it to open up. When it did, the Hogyoku was revealed to Ichigo. "This will be the instrument of your shinigamification. The Hogyoku." Aizen explained, an unknown glint in his eyes upon seeing the small orb. "Please stand still and allow it to have it's effect.

Ichigo nodded, eyeing the glass-encased orb with a critical eye. "Anything I should know?"

This time, Gin answered. "Bite down on somethin', cause you're in for a world of hurt." He said with a smirk on his face.

"Good to know." Ichigo said sarcastically. Suddenly, he found himself in a box made entirely of what looked like glass. An alarm went off in his head and he instinctually made to try and break free, but was soon wrapped from head to in wrappings that seemed to form from the glass. It held him tightly, not allowing him to move.

Aizen placed the Hogyoku in small opening in the thick glass. Without a moment's hesitation, Aizen touched the Hogyoku with his index finger and thumb. Both Aizen's and Ichigo's reiatsu flared, the glass around Ichigo shattering inward in a small, contained, explosion.

**(Decimo's Palace)**

Yammy Llargo jerked as a very powerful reiatsu briefly filled his palace and him. The reiatsu didn't linger long enough for him to be able to try and figure out where it was coming from, but it did leave a sense of foreboding, for some odd reason.

"Feh."

Yammy dismissed it and went back to what he had been doing.

**(Novena's Palace)**

Aaroniero Aurrurrie made no visible movement as he felt a reiatsu flare, but under the mask the two skulls that were the Novena frantically moved about, trying to get a fix on the location. Alas, the reiatsu disappeared before he could accurately discern it's location. Calming themselves down, Aaroniero went back to his meditations.

**(Octavo's Palace)**

Szayel-Aporro Grantz looked over at his computer as it began beeping loudly. Leaving his current station, he walked up to the console and glanced at the screen.

_Reiatsu Overlord. System Error._

Szayel raised his eyebrow, then smirked slightly at the machine. "Interesting."

**(Septima's Palace)**

Zommari Loreux opened his eyes calmly as the reiatsu reached his chamber. It was odd, to say the least. For the longest time, Zommari had done everything Aizen had instructed of him to the letter, no questions asked. So, he didn't know what it was like to be 'put in his place' by Aizen's overwhelming reiatsu. After the reiatsu flare, Zommari was sure he now knew what it felt like.

**(Sexta's Palace)**

Grimmjow stopped his pacing abruptly as an all too familiar reiatsu filled his senses. A lone drop of sweat rolled down his forehead, but it wasn't fear or nervousness that caused it. Grimmjow smirked dangerously, clearly riled up in anticipation.

"Kurosaki!"

**(Quinta's Palace)**

Nnoitora Gilga tugged his weapon back into his hand as the strong reiatsu filled the area. Already, Nnoitora was smirking in excitement. Another potential adversary was here. He would've made off in the direction, but he suddenly found that he couldn't. The reiatsu didn't seem to linger, nor feel like it was coming from a certain direction. It had just surrounded him completely. His smirk only grew wider.

**(Quarta's Palace)**

Ulquiorra Schiffer's pupils dilated in surprise for the briefest of moments. An almost overwhelmingly powerful reiatsu made itself known, and for less than a second, Ulquiorra had felt true despair. The very notion seemed to alarm him, but he quickly dismissed it and returned to his doings.

**(Tercera's Palace)**

Tier Harribel looked up from her three Fraccion and glanced in several different directions. Just now, that reiatsu. What was that? Harribel disliked using metaphors, especially ironic ones, but thought to herself that, whatever that reiatsu was, she had felt like she was under the ocean, the weight of billions of gallons of water crushing down on her body.

"Harribel-sama, did you-?" Apacci began as she regained her breath.

"Yes." Harribel answered simply. The reiatsu was gone now, and she couldn't find any trace of it. It was safe to assume that it was gone.

**(Segunda's Palace)**

Baraggan Luisenbern looked up sharply as his senses were overwhelmed by reiatsu. It had been powerful.

"Insignificant." He tried to assure himself and went back to what he was doing. In the back of his mind, though, Baraggan was sure he now knew what it felt liketo be eaten by his Respira.

**(Primera's Palace)**

Starrk's eyes opened in surprise. He sat up slowly and looked around. He scratched the back of his head in confusion. Whatever had woken him rudely was gone now. Before he laid his head back down his pillow, he sighed and said, "Something tells me I'm not going to be getting much sleep from now on." And with that absolutely terrifying thought, he rested back on his bed. Snores soon accompanied the action.

**(With Ichigo)**

When the smoke cleared in the room, Aizen saw his newest Arrancar. There stood Ichigo, who was managing to hold his head high despite what he had just gone through. There were several things different with him, quite noticeable as well.

For one, no longer was a sickening mask covering his face. Now, he looked like he did when he was alive, the only difference being a small mask fragment remained from the transformation. It was a couple inches of what had been the bottom of his left jaw, the sharp teeth still sticking out from it.

Gone was the mostly white bone that covered his body. It was all flesh now. Slightly tan skin over very toned and defined muscles. Despite being slightly taller, the only thing that distinguished Ichigo's body now and from when he had been alive was the Hollow hole that remained over where his heart would have been. His hair had shortened too, though not by much.

There was also a zanpakuto there at his feet, though it was a little different than the cleaver-like zanpakuto Ichigo had been carrying before. Now, it was the size of an average katana. The scabbard, as well as the hilt, was pitch black. There were no other colors on it, it almost looked like a piece of darkness. The first movement Ichigo made in his now human form was to reach down and pick up the blade by it's scabbard.

From Ichigo's appearance, Aizen would've have concluded that the evolution was a success. Except, there was one major difference between Ichigo and other Arrancar changed by the Hogyoku. Aizen could not sense any reiatsu from Ichigo. There were only two possible options, both alarming. One, the evolution failed and Ichigo, while Arrancar in appearance, was no stronger than a human, and two... No. Impossible. Aizen decided to wait for now, before making any sort of move.

"How do you feel, Kurosaki-san?" Aizen asked after a few seconds.

"Violated." Ichigo managed to retort with a slight chuckle. "Pretty good, though, all things considered."

Aizen smiled. "Good." It looked like he was about to say more, but Ichigo started first.

"I think I could go for some sleep though… maybe a bath too." Ichigo said, thinking.

"You may wish to extend that want to some clothes, if only for proper first impressions with the Espada." Aizen told him, almost looked humored.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow and looked down. So, that's why it felt breezy. "Gah!" He exclaimed, losing his composure for the first time in a long while. "Pants! Get me some pants!" Gin light-heartedly threw the bottom of the standard Arrancar uniform to Ichigo, which was caught and put on swiftly.

"Gin can escort you to your quarters. Inside, you'll find several different articles of clothing to choose from." Aizen informed Ichigo.

"Sounds like you were counting on me agreeing to join you guys." Ichigo pointed out.

"Anticipating, actually. Besides, doesn't hurt to be prepared." Aizen retorted simply.

"Guess not." Ichigo shrugged.

"In the morning, I will have someone escort you to the Throne Room. There, you will meet your fellow Arrancar." Aizen told Ichigo.

"Sounds good." Ichigo said in affirmative.

"Please follow me." Gin requested, turning to leave the room. Ichigo followed wordlessly, noticing just how cold it was in here.

'_Guess temperature wasn't much of a factor as a Hollow.' _Ichigo though to himself. When he and Gin left the room, Tosen spoke up, turning to Aizen.

"He is powerful, Aizen-sama. I can't sense any reiatsu from him, but I know he is. If he isn't loyal-." He started but was caught off by Aizen.

"I wouldn't worry about that." He said with a light smirk, several plans beginning to form in his head. "For now, I will let things play out, but rest assured, I believe I have several things that will tie him to us." With that, Aizen strode out of the room confidently, Tosen following him shortly after.

**(With Ichigo and Gin)**

"Here ya go, Kurosaki-san." Gin spoke up, stopping at a lone door. Ichigo grasped the handled and pushed the stone door open. The room itself wasn't much. One window, one bed, one bathroom. Like Aizen had said, there was a rack of clothing off to the side. Ichigo thought it was perfect, for now.

"Well, good night, don't let the bed bugs bite." Gin spoke again, regarding Ichigo with the same smirk.

"Anyone ever tell you your creepy as hell?" Ichigo asked bluntly with a blank face.

"Yes. On several occasions." Gin answered with a slight frown. Ichigo resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Thanks for the escort. I'm probably going to get some sleep now." Ichigo told Gin, who only nodded and turned and left swiftly. Ichigo closed the door behind him.

Now alone, Ichigo decided to get a couple of things out of the way before going to bed. To start, his long hair needed to go as soon as possible. At it's current length, Ichigo figured he'd probably choke himself out in his sleep. Ichigo stepped inside the bathroom and unsheathed his zanpakuto for the first time.

Despite the pitch black of it's scabbard and grip, the blade shone with a very bright silver, reflecting any and all light shone on it. It looked a little odd, yes, but Ichigo had already thought of several ways he could use the blade to his advantage. He shook his head, deciding to focus on what he had come in here to do.

The first thing Ichigo did was, without a moment's thought, lop off a good portion of the hair that reached down his back. The hair hit the floor silently and Ichigo already saw a drastic improvement in the mirror. Again, Ichigo brought his zanpakuto up to take off another portion, but stopped suddenly.

_'Come to think of it, I didn't have many options when I was alive. Anything differently I could've done with my hair would've got me dress-coded the moment I stepped onto the school grounds... maybe I can experiment a little?' _Ichigo asked himself, staring in the mirror. "Can't hurt." He said aloud with a shrug.

**(Twenty Minutes Later)**

"Hm... not bad." Ichigo complimented himself. Good thing he had plenty of practice cutting his own hair, even if it was usually with scissors. In the end, not much was changed for his overall hair scheme. You wouldn't call it a particular 'hair style', unless long, somewhat shaggy hair, was an official hairstyle. He only kept his hair a little longer than it had been when he was alive. Some hair came down in between his eyes and his hair in the back came down to the bottom of his neck. Despite it's simplicity, Ichigo liked it and decided to keep it like this.

Ichigo sheathed his zanpakuto and glanced down at the mess of hair on the floor of the bathroom. He sighed, before stepping over it and exiting the bathroom. He'd deal with it later. Now for some clothing. As convenient as it was to only wear pants, Ichigo figured it would be better for everyone if he wore something else. He scanned through the many outfits on the rack. Only a top was needed. The pants Gin gave him were actually quite comfortable and easy to move around in.

_'No. No. No. Too small. Too large... hm, this could work.' _Ichigo took out a piece and held it up to observe it. It looked similar to what Gin had been wearing, but that was good enough for him. It's not like he wanted to stand out, he just wanted to be fully clothed. He put it on quickly, zipping it up to just below his Hollow hole, leaving his torso exposed. When he looked in the mirror, Ichigo was rather pleased with himself. "Yeah, good enough."

Now, with everything done, Ichigo didn't even bother changing out his clothes. He went straight to the side of his bed and fell down on it, face-first. It certainly did not take long for him to fall into a deep sleep.

**(The Next Morning)**

"Excuse me, Ichigo-sama?" Menoly Mallia said through the door, respectfully, after she knocked.

"We've been asked to escort you to the Throne Room." Loly Aivirrne finished, a noticeably irritated expression on her face. Retracting her hand, Menoly clasped her hands behind her back as she waited for an answer. After all, Aizen gave her and Loly explicit orders to treat this 'Ichigo' with the utmost respect. Why? She didn't know, but Ichigo must be rather important to have received such an order. Which is why she turned to Loly slightly.

"Loly, please try and _look _respectful." Menoly whispered, trying to prevent her sister from getting in any sort of trouble. Loly huffed slightly, but heeded her sister's warning. She, too, placed her hands behind her back and waited. It was obvious that she was a little perturbed at having to treat someone, other than Aizen, with respect.

Menoly didn't give it much though, other than following Aizen's orders. Of course, she couldn't help but be slightly anxious, and a little scared. She was expecting some terrifying Arrancar that Aizen was expecting them to escort.

The two of them waited close to a minute, not getting any sort of reply from inside the room. This time, Loly brought her fist up and banged on the door a few times.

"Ichigo-!" Loly scowled. "-Sama!" Menoly sighed at her sister. One of these days, Loly was going to get in a lot of trouble for her short-temper, if not today.

Menoly waited for the door to open in anger by this Ichigo, but again, nothing happened. Another minute passed. Loly, becoming fed up, grasped the door handle and entered the room before Menoly could stop her. She could only sigh and follow Loly into the room.

There, they saw Ichigo. He was splayed out on his bed on his stomach. Menoly blinked once at the sight, but regained composure quickly and spoke up before Loly had the chance too.

"Ichigo-sama." Menoly stated, hoping that would be enough to get any sort of reaction out of him. Her silent prayer was answered as Ichigo shifted and opened his eyes. He looked at Loly and Menoly, not completely registering the fact that they were even there. Only when his mind finally woke up, did he understand that there were two females in his room. He sat up quickly.

"Hm? What?" Ichigo asked quickly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. There was a blond and a brunette in front of him. The blond was standing at attention, her hands behind her back and seemed to be, at least trying, to hold a respectful gaze. The brunette, on the other hand, seemed to be silently fuming. It was obvious she was annoyed with him about something. She looked cute, Ichigo had to admit to himself.

"Aizen-sama has requested that we escort you to the Throne Room." Menoly answered, speaking respectfully and in monotone. It looked like she had done this before.

"Oh yeah, I remember him saying something about that." Ichigo said to himself. With that, he stood up and stretched briefly. Satisfied with the pops and creaks from his bones, Ichigo smacked his lips twice before asking, looking bored, "Couldn't have knocked?"

Loly looked to be barely biting back a few choice words at the question, but managed to simply say, "We did. Twice."

"Oh." Ichigo blinked. "Allright then." He would've let things be and allowed them to escort him, but a thought suddenly came to mind, that almost made Ichigo outwardly grin. He looked over at them, looking more at Loly than Menoly. "I'm going to take a shower."

Loly looked livid. "Ichigo-_sama_, I don't think you should keep Aizen-sama wai-."

"Out in a few." Ichigo cut her off, closing the door to the bathroom. Loly opened and closed her mouth, not quite sure what to say at this point. She quickly figured something out and turned to Menoly.

"That-that asshole!" She spluttered, looking at Menoly, expecting to get some sort of agreement. To her shock, and slight horror, Menoly was suppressing a giggle. It seemed she had caught on to what Ichigo was doing. "What're you laughing at?" Loly asked, exasperated.

"Nothing, nothing." Menoly defended quickly, coughing. She could tell Ichigo was purposefully doing this to get on Loly's nerves. While it did inconvenience herself, at least it was humorous and her sister wasn't being punished for her behavior. Though, while it was funny, she hoped Ichigo wouldn't take it too far. Loly's temper could only become worse, there was no boiling point.

"I swear, the sooner we get this jerk to Aizen-sama, the better." Loly stated, crossing her arms with a huff.

"Maybe. I _am _a little curious as to just who he is, though." Menoly replied with a shrug. "Aren't you?"

"I couldn't care less." Loly lied. While she was pissed, it did make her wonder what Aizen-sama wanted with this guy. "It doesn't matter, does it?"

"Guess not." Menoly sighed.

**(Ten Minutes Later)**

"Ok, I'm good." Ichigo told the two girls, exiting the bathroom.

"About damn time." Loly grumbled. Menoly threw a glare at her, before turning back to Ichigo, who seemed to be holding in a snicker.

"If you are ready, Ichigo-sama, allow us to escort you to Aizen-sama." Menoly said respectfully, hoping to get on track.

"Look, it's kinda obvious you two don't particularly like me, so I don't care if you act like it." Ichigo said bluntly and with a blank face, waving his hand. Menoly blinked in surprise. Was it something she had said?

"Er, yes sir?" Menoly replied cautiously. Loly, on the other hand...

"Great, now let's hurry up." She said impatiently, turning swiftly and exiting the room, Ichigo following her quietly. Menoly sighed, exasperated. They were so dead.

* * *

><p>"Tell me something, if you can." Ichigo said after they had been walking in silence for close to a minute. "What exactly are the advantages of being an Espada?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Menoly was about to answer, but Loly had a reply of her own.<p>

"Hate to break it to ya-." Her expression said otherwise. "-but Espada are the best of the best." Loly told him, hoping to get some sort of negative reaction.

"True." Ichigo said simply, with a shrug. Loly scowled.

"Well, for one, Espada have their own palaces they reside in." Menoly said, trying to keep Loly from talking.

"Their own palace?" Ichigo repeated incredulously. "Really?"

"Yes." Menoly nodded. "They also get their own Fraccion."

"Fraccion?" Ichigo, again, repeated.

"Servants, bodyguards, person soldiers. Anything their commanding Espada needs them to be." Menoly explained.

"So, are you two Fraccion?" Ichigo asked them, glancing between the two.

"Us?" Menoly blinked. "No, no, no. It would be an honor to serve an Espada as a Fraccion. But, well, Fraccion are hand-picked by the Espada, so... well..." Menoly looked to be trying to say the obvious truth without making it seem to pathetic. Ichigo finished for her, simply asking,

"But noone wanted you two?"

"Yeah. Pretty much." Menoly confirmed dejectedly. Ichigo looked to be contemplating something. A couple of expressions flashed across his face, before he spoke up again, asking subtly,

"Oh. I don't think I caught your names."

Menoly looked up slightly at him, realizing that they hadn't introduced themselves. While there was no real reason to, she was still surprised that he wanted to know. "I guess not. I'm Menoly. Menoly Mallia, thirty fourth Arrancar." She introduced with a slight bow of her head.

"Loly." She introduced simply, trying to give him the cold shoulder. Loly noted, with some annoyance, that it only seemed to amuse him. Menoly, once again, shot a look at her sister. Loly sighed. "Loly Aivirrne. Thirty third Arrancar."

"Well, nice to meet you both, Loly, Menoly. Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo introduced himself with a half-grin.

"Doesn't your name mean strawberry?" Loly asked without much thought.

"No, it doesn't." Ichigo replied immediately, noticeably irked. Loly saw this and marked herself a point, on her imaginary scoreboard, feeling victorious.

"Why'd you ask about the Espada?" Menoly asked, having a question of her own this time.

"I should be challenging an Espada for their rank today. Just wanted to know what will happen when I win." Ichigo answered with a shrug.

"Y-you're challenging an Espada?" Menoly asked, stuttering slightly, her visible eye wide in surprise. Even Loly looked surprised an his statement. "Which one?"

"I don't know the name." Ichigo said, scratching his cheek with his index finger. "Though, Aizen-sama said it was the Cero Espada." He added nonchalantly, thinking back to the conversation with Aizen. He looked back at them and watched them both almost trip on nothing.

"The C-Cero?" Menoly repeated, utterly shocked. If that was true, then Aizen-sama believed Ichigo to be at that level. They were escorting one of the most powerful Arrancar in Aizen's army.

"Yep." Ichigo replied simply.

"You're going to get your ass handed to you." Loly said, inwardly smirking. She made a mental note to be _sure _to get a front row seat at that duel.

"Oh yeah, definitely." Ichigo 'agreed' sarcastically, waving her off. Menoly was about to openly scold her sister this time, but noticed where they were.

"Here we are." Menoly told him, snapping back to her respectful demeanor.

"Thanks for the escort. I'm good from here." Ichigo told them, nodding. Menoly gave him a light bow, Loly simply crossed her arms. Ichigo gave one last wave over his shoulders before entering the Throne Room. Once he was inside and the door closed behind him, Menoly let out a sigh.

"Well, that was... interesting." She said, not quite sure how to put it exactly. "But, I guess we're done with him." She added, almost sounding disappointed, walking away. Loly made to follow, deciding not to comment, but looked back at the Throne Room. An unknown look surfaced on her face, but quickly vanished as she turned back and followed Menoly.

**(Las Noches/Throne Room)**

"Ah, Kurosaki-san. How nice of you to join us." Aizen announced as the door behind Ichigo closed. Ichigo had to look up in order to make eye-contact with Aizen. He wasn't surprised the way the Throne was positioned so high up. The last few words clicked in Ichigo's head and he looked around the room. He could see several others. "Allow me to introduce you to the Espada."

**_(End of Chapter/Author's Note)_**

**Well, there ya be having it. Chapter two of S.K.O.M. Sorry if the length of it doesn't seem to suit the week wait. My fault completely. Anyways, I think there are a couple of things that need to be addressed... but I can only think of one.**

**Yes, maybe the reactions from the Espada were a little drawn out. It was just an idea that came to mind an hour before I released this chapter. I like to think of it like this. From the reactions, I hope you can discern that A:The other Espada are going to be playing key parts in the future. ALL of them. And B:That Ichigo becoming an Arrancar is going to have a MAJOR impact in the plot.(Which I've almost completely thought of :D)**

**Musical Inspiration for this chapter;**

**Band:Breaking Benjamin**

**Song:Crawl(Just so you know, the lyrics aren't ALWAYS going to reflect the events of the chapter. Sometimes, listening to a specific song can help me write out a specific chapter better than others :P)**

_**Live! Fight! Crawl back inside. Sick! Blind! Love left behind! And I won't live your weak, wicked, lie. You pulled me in, I'm one step behind.**_

**That'll do it for now, folks. Please read and review! Constructive Criticism is welcome, but flamers will be hunted down and beaten up by me personally, I assure you.**


	3. Welcome to The Family

**Here we be going on another adventure through time and space as we do some more stuff with that one thing. Chapter Three! Here you are. With nothing else to particularly say, let's just go to the Review Corner, eh?**

**lightningblade49: I'll put this bluntly... I have no idea :P I'll think of something though, just have to smoke enough doobies to do so.**

**Farmer Kyle:Thanks for your interest in the story as of right now. I do run my chapters through a spell check... I just, ya know, scim through it :P And no, you're not being harsh. As you requested, here's another chapter. B.R. might still be a couple of weeks ro so*XD)**

**halberd42:I'm glad you liked the way I introduced Loly and Menoly. Don'cha just love Love-Hate relationships? Mixed in with some fluff, too. I will tell you blunty, like I told lightningblade :D I have no idea what I'll do with his Resurreccion :P**

**Inverness:Then here you are! Enjoy!**

**MadmanTobz:I'm glad you like the character interactions! I love writing them, especially when I manage to, luckily, get that characters down correctly. Yes, there were some Grammar mistakes, but I edited the majority of them the day after I uploaded Chapter 2. And yes, the Cero Espada was intentional. Though, I see your point. I'll just write Zero**

**dbz wrting for fun:I dunno, does he? I can ask him if you want. Maybe not one blow but... meh, you'll see**

**gandalf42:You don't have to wait for this particular update any longer**

**Umbra8191:Then here you are!**

**kazikamikazi24:Grimmjow will get his shot at Ichigo soon enough. You'll see... You'll ALL see 0_o**

**darkmachines:I will do my best! Hope you enjoy the plethora on Character Interaction in this chapter!**

**EVA-saiyaijin:Yes, it should have been. I fixed it, thanks. Here is the next chapter of which you speak of.**

**OpenSourceArtist:I must say, it's fun writing out Aizen. Unemotional, or close to, characters are usually the easiest to write :/**

**Seiei:Maybe late, but still pretty early, considering the lengths I plan to go with story-Whoops, did I just say that out loud? Anyways, I'm glad you like what I'm doing with Ichigo and Loly. Writing their interactions is going to be so much fun.**

**And that'll do it for now, please enjoy the chapter!**

**(Las Noches/Throne Room)**

"Before we begin, Kurosaki-san, you are a little late. Were the escorts I sent not satisfactory in their task?" Aizen asked Ichigo, raising an eyebrow. Ichigo shook his head.

"Nah, they didn't do anything wrong. It was my fault, really." He answered with a shrug. Aizen seemed content with the answer, looking like he had achieved something.

"Very well. As I said, it is time to introduce you to your brethren." Aizen repeated, briefly looking over at the other Espada. "My dear Espada, this is Ichigo Kurosaki. He will be the newest addition to the Espada ranks." Different emotions flashed across the ten Espada. A new Espada meant someone was going to be replaced, and that someone was most likely going to be killed. Only thing was, who's it going to be? "Now, would everyone extend Kurosaki-san their courtesy and introduce themselves?" Aizen asked them, looking them over.

The first one to speak was the biggest one in the room. "Yammy, Decimo Espada!" Yammy said with a wide smirk. Ichigo narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. Despite having the lowest rank, this Yammy seemed strangely cocksure. Ichigo nodded his head at Yammy.

"Aaroniero-." The next began in a very high pitched voice. "**Aurrurrie." **Then ended in a very low. It definitely surprised and intrigued Ichigo. "Noveno Espada." Again, Ichigo nodded.

"Szayel-Aporro Grantz." The man with the pink hair introduced next. He looked to be sizing Ichigo up. In terms of what, Ichigo wasn't sure. "Octavo Espada. It's a pleasure."

"Likewise." Ichigo replied, nodding.

"Quick question, Kurosaki-san." Szayel said quickly before the next could introduce themselves. "Why is it that I'm sensing no reiatsu from you?" Szayel asked the question that everybody was inwardly wondering. It was no surprise he would be the one to voice it.

"No reiatsu?" Ichigo repeated, somewhat confused. What was he talking about? Not to blow his own horn, but Ichigo was sure he had a lot. Only possible answer came to mind. "Maybe I have too much for you to sense." This received a couple of scoffs from a couple others, but Szayel's eyes lit up at the idea.

"Too much to sense? How curious." He said, pointlessely adjusting his glasses. It was obvious he had nothing more to say, satisfied for the moment.

"Zommari Loreaux. Septima Espada." The next in line spoke up. He was standing at attention respectfully, his hands clasped behind his back. "An honor to make your acquaintance."**[1]**

"Pleasure's all mine." Ichigo replied, using the exact same amount of respect in his tone that Zommari had used.

"Sexta Espada." The next man started. Ichigo didn't even have to wait for him to finish.

"Grimmjow." Ichigo stated with a slight smirk. Grimmjow smirked wildly in return.

"I've been waiting a long time to have another go at you, Kurosaki!" Grimmjow challenged, becoming slightly riled in anticipation.

"Me too, Grimmjow." Ichigo replied, his own voice taking a challenging tone. "Later today? Outside of Las Noches?" Ichigo suggested, not wasting any time.

"Perfect." Grimmjow said in affirmative, anxious. "Don't get cold feet!" Ichigo scoffed. Before their banter could continue, the next spoke up.

"Quinte Espada! Nnoitora Gilga!" Nnoitora announced proudly. Ichigo noticed right away that Nnoitora seemed to be constantly releasing his reiatsu and hardening it around his skin. If that was the case, then Noitora was very good at controlling his reiatsu and would have _very _tough skin. Ichigo made a mental note to see if he could do the same. "You'll be taking me on real soon, Kurosaki. Whether you want to or not."

"If I have too." Ichigo replied with a half-smirk.

"Quarta Espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer." The two were interrupted by the next Espada. Ichigo raised an eyebrow in surprise. This guy was only the fourth? Then how strong were the last four? There was a possibility he was incorrectly ranked, though. Ichigo could tell he was suppressing his reiatsu. A lot of it too.

"Tier Harribel, Tercera Espada. Welcome to Las Noches, Kurosaki-san." It was the only woman in the Espada, so it would be easy to remember her name and face, that was for sure. If not her name and face, then he'd remember it by… something else. Before a blush could surface, Ichigo merely nodded at Harribel and turned to the next.

"Baraggan. Baraggan Luisenbern, King of Hueco Mundo. Segunda Espada." The old man introduced confidently. King of Hueco Mundo and only the second Espada? Ichigo couldn't help but think that the title was self-proclaimed.

"Starrk." The last person in the room said bluntly. Ichigo couldn't help but sweat drop at the vague introduction.

"That's it?" Ichigo asked, blinking.

"Do I need to tell you anything else?" Starrk asked Ichigo, tilting his head slightly. Ichigo sighed. Guess he didn't. He knew his name and rank, and that's all he really needed to know.

"Guess not." Ichigo replied with a shrug. He waited for someone else to introduce themselves, but no one did. Rather than asking where the last Espada was, a thought came to mind. Aizen had first said that the Espada were the top ten Arrancar in his army, ranked weakest to strongest from ten to zero. Only ten Arrancar with eleven ranks could only mean that either Aizen was the last Espada, though that was incredibly unrealistic, or one Espada held two ranks. Ichigo decided to ask the question bluntly.

"So, which one of you is the Zero?" He asked, looking at them all one-by-one. To his slight surprise, Yammy spoke up.

"Who wants to know?" Again, he was smirking widely. So that would explain it. Ichigo figured he was hiding something, or just overestimating himself.

"Now that everyone here knows each other-." Aizen spoke up before Ichigo could answer. "I will now inform you of my plan for Kurosaki-san." This got everyone's attention." In one hour's time, a duel will be held outside of Las Noches for the rank of Zero Espada between Kurosaki-san and Yammy."

"Hah! Me fight him?" Yammy asked, laughing and pointing at Ichigo. "No contest!" For some reason, Ichigo didn't take too kindly to Yammy's boast.

"I agree." Ichigo said simply, looking at Yammy with a straight face. Grimmjow held in a laugh.

"Hm?" Yammy raised an eyebrow, before waving Ichigo off. "Bah!" The other Espada had their own thoughts on the matter. A couple thought that Aizen was overestimating Ichigo. A select few seemed to know just what Yammy was in for. Either way, all the Espada vowed to be there to witness the duel. "I won't even need to use my Resurreccion." Yammy declared. Ichigo figured Yammy was taking his lack of sensing Ichigo's reiatsu as weakness.

"That will be all for now. Again, in one hour the duel will begin. And, while Kurosaki-san isn't an Espada, I would ask that everyone show him due respect." Aizen told all of them. "Dismissed." With that, Aizen stood and exited the room from behind the throne, followed by Gin and Tosen. One by one, the other Espada left the room. Before Ichigo, too, left, someone spoke up.

"Ah, Kurosaki-san." Szayel said, getting Ichigo's attention. "May I request you stop by my palace sometime? As Las Noches' top scientist, it would greatly benefit me and my studies if you would allow me to run a couple of simple tests."

"I… guess." Ichigo answered with a shrug. "As long as you don't do anything drastic to me, I don't have a problem with it."

"Excellent. I wish you luck in your duel. After all, your body will need to be intact and functioning properly for the tests to have the results I am looking for." Szayel said humorously. With that, Szayel walked casually out of the room. Ichigo watched him leave with a blank stare.

"He's kinda creepy." He said to himself, scratching the back of his head.

"Kurosaki!" Grimmjow called, getting Ichigo's attention. "How 'bout that fight?" Ichigo shook his head.

"Probably not a good idea. I should be at full strength for my duel. Sometime afterward, though." Ichigo told him.

"Psh." Was all Ichigo got as a reply.

"Speaking of which, where exactly will it be taking place?" Ichigo asked, once again scratching the back of his head. Grimmjow rolled his eyes.

"Idiot. I'll show ya where it is, but it doesn't make me your servant or anything. Got that?" Grimmjow said with a snarl.

"Sure." Ichigo nodded. With that, Grimmjow stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked out of the Throne Room, Ichigo following. When they exited, Grimmjow disappeared via sonido. Ichigo did the same.

"This is where we'll be watching from." Grimmjow told Ichigo, planting a foot down on the edge of Las Noches' canopy. Ichigo stood alongside him and looked out at the desert below, illuminated by the moon.

"This is an awful lot of room for a duel." Ichigo pointed out. Grimmjow laughed.

"Ha! I guess Aizen didn't tell you." Grimmjow concluded. Ichigo noticed the lack of suffix on Aizen's name. "When Yammy is in his current form, he's weak as shit. His Resurreccion is what gives him the rank of Zero." Grimmjow explained, scowling at the last part.

"Resurreccion?" Ichigo asked, confused.

"Jeez, are you kidding me?" Grimmjow asked, looking incredulously at Ichigo for a second. "How'd I ever lose to you? You're a dumbass."

"Hey, hey. I'm new to this Arrancar stuff." Ichigo defended, waving his hand.

"Well, like hell I'm going to tell you." Grimmjow said with a smirk.

"Give me a break." Ichigo said with a sigh. "Is this payback?" He asked, smirking. "For kicking your ass?"

"Watch it, bastard." Grimmjow growled threateningly. Ichigo shrugged. A awkward minute of silence passed before Ichigo asked,

"Say, what is there to do around here anyways?"

"There isn't shit to do around here." Grimmjow scowled, deciding to sit down for now. One leg dangled over the side of Las Noches. "I thought about getting my own Fraccion to torment**[2]**, but it's no fun beating up someone weaker than you."

"Hm. Fraccion." Hearing the word caused Ichigo to remember Menoly's explanation. "I guess I can choose mine once I become an Espada?"

"Yeah." Grimmjow said simply.

"Hn. I'm going to have a look around my future battlefield." Ichigo said suddenly, disappearing. He reappeared as a small figure at the foot of Las Noches.

"Tch."

**(Twenty Minutes Later)**

"You're here early, Grimmjow." A voice spoke up from behind the Sexta. Grimmjow didn't even have to look.

"Nothing else to do, Tercera." He told Harribel. Harribel stood there, her arms crossed, looking down at what Ichigo was doing.

"Who do you think will emerge victorious?" Harribel asked Grimmjow, looking down at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Kurosaki. No question." Grimmjow answered right away, with a slight nod.

"Not even going to give it thought?" Harribel raised an eyebrow, surprised at Grimmjow's quick answer.

"Don't need to. I've fought Kurosaki before. He's only gotten stronger than the last time we fought." Grimmjow explained, scowling at the memory of his defeat.

"Ah yes, that's right. I recall you saying that to Aizen-sama." Harribel remembered. She then waited. Grimmjow glanced up at her, then grumbled.

"Alright, fine, I'll play along. Who do you think will win?" Grimmjow asked her, a little curious himself.

"Not having fought or encountered Kurosaki-san previously, I cannot accurately predict who will be victorious." Harribel explained. "Though, there is a reason Yammy-san's resurreccion makes him the Zero." She left it at that.

"Ha! Resurrecion is no big deal! You just gotta put him down before he can use it." Another voice spoke up. It was Nnoitora.

"True." Harribel agreed, not even giving Nnoitra a glance in his direction.

"Heh, nothing to say to me Tercera?" Nnoitora asked with his usual smirk. As usual, Harribel ignored him, something that made Nnoitora laugh briefly. He stopped and glanced down. "The hell's he doing?" Nnoitora asked, referring to Ichigo as he moved about the sand below them.

"Said something about inspecting his battlefield, or some shit. I can't remember." Grimmjow told him, not even going to bother with trying to recall what was said exactly.

"Tch."

**(Thirty Minutes Later)**

It had been a while since Ichigo had stopped inspecting the area. Now, he was just pacing about, waiting patiently for his opponent, and everyone else, to arrive so they could start. Ichigo didn't have much of a game plan. The logical thing to do would be to take Yammy out before he used his Resurreccion, but that wouldn't really be earning the rank of Zero, now would it? After all, any of the other Espada could defeat Yammy in his current state.

By now, Ichigo could see several figures standing atop Las Noches. Just barely, though. Damn, that place was huge. Rather than pacing around, Ichigo figured it might be smarter, and more fun, to try and interact with the other Espada. Deciding, Ichigo vanished from the sands and quickly reappeared off to the side of the Espada. Now, Ichigo could see that there were many other Arrancar there, either seated or standing away from the Espada, apart from a few. Ichigo guessed that the few who were close to the Espada were Fraccion.

"Oh! Oh! Is that him?" An eager voice spoke up. Ichigo looked for the source and saw, what looked like, a young girl almost dragging Starrk, the Primera, over to him. "This is him? The guy who's going to fight?"

"Yeah, Lilynette." Starrk answered, noticeably annoyed. Lilynette left Starrk's side and examined Ichigo. She circled him once clock-wise, then counter clock-wise. Ichigo only looked at her quietly, one eyebrow raised, the whole time. When she seemed satisfied, Lilynette hopped back over to Starrk's side.

"You don't look like much!" Lilynette declared with a toothy grin. "I think Yammy'll squash you." She added, causing Ichigo to sweat drop. Starrk sighed.

"Lilynette, give the guy a break." He said, blinking once. He turned to Ichigo. "Sorry about that. Lilynette is, well, incapable of using self-control."

"Hey!" Lilynette protested, elbowing Starrk in his side.

"No worries. I suppose everyone's entitled to an opinion." Ichigo assured Starrk with a shrug. "Is she your-?"

"Fraccion? Yeah, you could say that." Starrk cut Ichigo off with a shrug of his own. "She insisted on watching the fight when I told her about it, and I figured it'd be interesting, so here I am." Starrk explained himself, scratching the back of his head with his gloved hand. One thing was for sure. If you had asked Ichigo, he would have not guessed that this guy would be the Primera. "Hope it'll be somewhat interesting. I could be sleeping." Starrk added.

"I'll try my best to keep everyone entertained." Ichigo deadpanned. Starrk nodded, then motioned for Lilynette to follow him as he walked back to where the two had been before.

"Bye-bye, strawberry!" Lilynette waved as she was led away. Ichigo groaned. Hopefully the nickname wouldn't stick. With Starrk and Lilynette gone, Ichigo looked over at the growing crowd and scanned through the faces. Many were looking at him, sizing him up. Some had arrogant smirks on their faces while doing so. Right before Ichigo was about to turn to find somewhere comfortable for the last few minutes, someone caught his eye. Or rather, two someones.

He saw Loly and Menoly a few meters away from the main crowd of spectators. Menoly was sitting down on the sloped surface, her elbows resting on her knees, her head resting in her hands as she waited patiently for something to happen. Loly was standing there next to her, her arms crossed. Then Ichigo noticed it. Loly was looking at him. The moment he made eye contact with her, he half-smirked at her. When she saw it, Ichigo watched as she seemed to scoff and turn away quickly. He would've approached them, but was interrupted mid-step.

"Kurosaki-san, I see that your little duel has attracted quite the audience." Aizen spoke up from beside Ichigo.

"Sure has." Ichigo agreed, feeling humbled.

"I hope that you will live up to mine, and everyone else's, expectations." Aizen added, that friendly grin returning to his expression. Ichigo could only shrug. Aizen looked to his right, then back at Ichigo. "I see your opponent is already there, waiting for you."

True enough, Yammy was down there. "Kurosaki! Get down here! It's time for you to die!" Yammy called out, confident. Ichigo could only face palm.

"Alright, let's get this started." Ichigo readied himself then disappeared and reappeared down on the dunes in front of Las Noches.

"Ready, Kurosaki?" Yammy smirked, his arms crossed.

"I guess." Ichigo replied.

"I won't even have to use my Resurreccion." Yammy figured. "I'll kill you in this form!"

"If you say so." Again, Ichigo replied simply, which only further aggravated Yammy. They both looked up and over at Las Noches, more specifically, at Aizen. He simply motioned with his hand. And with that, it was official. The fight had started.

"Hah! Let's go Kuro-gurgh!" The moment Yammy had looked back at Ichigo, he found himself flying backwards. He was airborne for a good three seconds before he began to skid across the sand, then finally coming to a halt. Ichigo was standing right in front the spot Yammy had been standing. He would have been standing normally, except one fist was outstretched and was where Yammy's stomach had been a few seconds earlier. Ichigo had a blank look on his face.

Yammy grunted as he stood up. It looked like he didn't know what had exactly happened. He passed it off as a fluke, and tried to look smug, but in the back of his mind, something was telling him he was outclassed here.

"Wanna use your Resurreccion now?" Ichigo asked, retracting his arm. Yammy growled.

"Don't get cocky! Gah!" For a second time, Yammy did several barrel rolls in the sand, before finally coming to a stop. This time, Ichigo stood where Yammy had been with his right leg up and pointed out at waist level. He brought it down.

"I'm only suggesting." Ichigo told Yammy as he stood himself up again, coughing up sand.

"You little ant." Yammy suddenly thrust his hand out forward, shooting off a bala. Before it reached Ichigo, he had just enough time to ask,

"What is that?" Before it impacted where he was standing. Yammy laughed, before thrusting both of his fists forward repetitively, shooting off one bala after another.

"That's a bala, you little shit!" He announced. "A projectile of hardened reiatsu! Not as strong as a cero… but about twenty times faster! HAHA!" Yammy laughed as he continued for another few seconds. He stopped to survey the damage. There was no sight of Ichigo. Yammy would've declared himself the winner, but-

"A bala, huh? Let me try." Yammy looked over his shoulder just in time to see a completely black bala take up his vision and strike him viciously. It exploded and kicked up a pillar of sand a good thirty feet in the air. Ichigo blinked, then smirked. "Damn, that's useful. Thanks."

**(The Spectators)**

"Haha! Yammy is in way over his head." Grimmjow exclaimed, laughing.

"Kurosaki is making a big fool out of Yammy." Nnoitora added with a smirk. "He's doing it on purpose too. I like his style." True enough, Nnoitora could appreciate making a complete fool out of an opponent before utterly crushing them.

"There was something… off about that bala." Szayel pointed out, adjusting his glasses. "Did anyone else see it?"

"Huh?" Nnoitora asked as he frowned and looked at Szayel, who only shook his head.

"Of course not. Why am I not surprised?" Szayel asked rhetorically, well aware that Nnoitora could hear him. Nnoitora growled at the Octava.

"I noticed." Starrk spoke up, his head resting in one head lazily. Szayel glanced back at him.

"Aah! Of course you did, Primera. Care to share what it was? Or will I have to explain to everybody?" Szayel said in a very belittling tone.

"I couldn't sense the bala's presence. No matter how fast they are, you can always sense them. They are reiatsu manifested physically, after all." Harribel told them all, not taking her eyes off the battle below.

"Correct! You should take after Harribel-san, Nnoitora. You could learn a thing or two." Szayel said, chuckling.

"What did you-?" Nnoitora's threat was cut off as reiatsu began to fill the area. It was Yammy.

"It would appear-." Zommari, this time, spoke up. "-that Yammy is going to take this seriously now."

"Here's the fight I've been waiting for." Grimmjow said with a wild smirk.

**(With Ichigo and Yammy)**

"**Be enraged, Ira!"** Yammy yelled out as his reiatsu began to increase drastically. Smoke and sand began to fill the area, causing Ichigo to lose sight of Yammy. He strained his eyes and tried to look around to no avail. Suddenly, Ichigo's eyes widened and he quickly disappeared from his spot, right as a massive fist struck where he had been standing. The smoke began to clear.

Ichigo stared at the new Yammy. To put it blatantly, Yammy was huge. "So this is his Resurreccion?" Ichigo asked himself. He then noticed that the 10 on Yammy's shoulder had now changed to a 0. "Well, there you have it." Ichigo said to himself with a blank face, before he suddenly disappeared again. Again, a fist smashed where he had been standing.

"Stop running!" Yammy roared out at Ichigo. "Come on! Fight me! Where's all your tough guy talk?" He taunted, laughing.

"You know!" Ichigo called out to Yammy. "The only real difference I see is your size!"

"You're wrong!" Yammy yelled back, still laughing. Almost before Ichigo could react, Yammy fired a bala at Ichigo, which he was forced to dodge. "Hahaha! Hold still!" Yammy wasted no time in firing off his balas in rapid succession.

To a lot of people, it looked like Ichigo was running away. A select few saw he was merely leading Yammy's attention away from Las Noches. Even though Ichigo had led the two of them a good distance away, Yammy was still easily visible. Ichigo, deciding this was good enough, stopped moving. He turned back to Yammy as he stopped firing balas and raised an eyebrow.

"Done running already?" He asked with a smirk. "Ready to fight? Or you too-?"

_Crash!_

Yammy was cut off as one of his upper teeth shattered in his mouth, blood coming from his gums. Ichigo jumped back a few yards as Yammy brought up his hands to clutch his mouth. Ichigo sheathed his zanpakuto back into it's scabbard.

"If you insist on taunting, then I'll have to remove another tooth." Ichigo said with a smirk, putting his hand down. Yammy growled lowly. Then Ichigo noticed. Yammy's reiatsu only began to increase.

"Grr, you piss me off, ant! You really piss me off." Yammy told him. Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Keep pissing me off, make me angrier. You'll regret it!"

_Crish!_

"Gagh!" Yammy cried out as another tooth was forcibly removed, courtesy of a stab from Ichigo's zanpakuto.

"Like that?" Ichigo asked, twirling his zanpakuto briefly before sheathing it again.

Yammy roared.

**(The Spectators)**

The moment the duel had began, Menoly had been leaning in the whole time to try and get as close of a look as she could. "He's pretty good." She couldn't help but comment, watching the two fighters closely.

"Maybe." Loly said, hiding her own agreement. "I'm just worried that we'll get caught up in the fight if Yammy gets too angry." She told her sister. Menoly nodded. It was a legitimate concern.

"I think if Yammy gets to that point… Ichigo will do something." Menoly's expression was calm as she said this, fully believing it.

"How can you be sure?" Loly asked, looked down at Menoly.

"I just know." Menoly answered with a shrug. "I can tell. I think that's just… who he is? I don't know for sure." She said, a little unsure, looking up in thought briefly. "Besides, if you ask me, Ichigo can end this whenever he wants."

"Hmph, I doubt it." Loly replied, trying to sound uncaring. "At the very least, he's not getting his ass kicked, like I thought he would."

"Heh, I think we'll have a new Zero Espada when the fight is over." Menoly added with a small grin, resting her head on her arms. Loly said nothing.

**(With Ichigo and Yammy)**

"Hold still!" Yammy yelled, swinging wildly at Ichigo, who only casually dodged each and every strike.

'_So far, I haven't really seen anything that would make this guy the strongest. Unless, of course, all the other Espada are really that weak. Nah, that can't be. Aizen doesn't seem like the type to have strength in numbers. There must be something.' _Ichigo thought to himself. He was forced back as Yammy took a swipe at him. For a while now, he had been observing Yammy. "If this is really the extent of your abilities, then it's time to go on the offensive and to stop wasting my time." Ichigo said, loud enough for Yammy to hear him.

"Bring it, ant! None of your attacks can even scratch me!" Yammy declared boastfully.

"Sorry! Couldn't understand you through your broken teeth!" Ichigo yelled back at Yammy, smirking. Yammy growled. "Or did you already forget? Guess you're as smart as you are weak." Ichigo continued.

"Quiet!" Yammy thrusted his fist forward, sending a bala at Ichigo. Ichigo dodged the blast quickly, exiting the blast radius as it struck the ground. Ichigo decided to test something. With nearly untraceable speed, Ichigo rushed forward, rearing his fist back. Jumping for momentum, Ichigo landed a punch on Yammy's large stomach, putting most of his strength behind it. Surprising Yammy, and everyone else, Yammy actually moved back at the impact by a few feet, but, all in all, he was unscathed. "Haha!"

Ichigo blinked. That hurt him more than it hurt Yammy. Just as he thought, Yammy had pretty tough skin. He might have to use his zanpakuto to inflict any external damage. Ichigo was then forced to unsheathe his zanpakuto quickly and block what he could of the fist Yammy had surprised him with. Yammy's fist pressed against Ichigo's guard all the way down onto the ground below them, kicking up sand violently.

"Ha!" With Ichigo now below him, Yammy began to furiously punch the ground where Ichigo had landed, kicking up rocks and sand hundreds of meters in the air. After a good twenty seconds of this, Yammy stopped, deciding it might be smart to not kick up to much dust. When everything cleared, there was nothing but sand. Yammy smirked.

"Gah!" Ichigo yelled out as he burst from the sand and pulled himself up. He coughed a couple of times. "Damn. I've got sand in places you don't even want to know." He said, jokingly.

"What the-How are you still alive?" Yammy demanded, clenching his fists.

"What? You thought that killed me?" Ichigo asked, genuinely surprised. "Give me more credit than that." He added with a half-smirk.

"Ragh! I've had enough of you!" Yammy yelled, bring an open-palm down to flatten Ichigo.

"Likewise." Ichigo replied quietly, suddenly becoming serious.

_Slice!_

"Gah! You piece of shit! My hand!" Yammy roared out, clutching his bloodied wrist with his only remaining hand. The severed hand crashed down a few meters away from Ichigo.

"If you didn't want to lose it, you shouldn't have put it out so far." Ichigo scolded, shouldering his bloody zanpakuto.

"I'll kill you!" Yammy declared, rearing his head back.

'_Is he really going to try it? He's only going to lose his head.' _Ichigo told himself, watching. Only when a bright red orb began to form in front of Yammy's mouth did he understand. "Oh."

"**CERO!" **With that cry, Yammy shoved his head down and released the enormous cero at Ichigo. The cero hit the ground, reflecting off of it outward, causing the Cero to actually reach a good two hundred meters in distance away from Yammy. To all the spectators, they could only see a bright red light. Yammy managed to keep the Cero going for another few seconds before he cut it off. The sand in front of him up to a hundred meters was completely glassed. Yammy smirked for the last time in his duel with Ichigo.

"Oh give me a break. That was incredibly easy to dodge." Ichigo said, standing in the air about ten meters away from Yammy's head. Yammy turned back, shocked. "I'm done with this fight." Ichigo said, a very serious expression on his face. Ichigo put his hand forward, a red orb forming quickly in front of it.

"Wha-?"

"_**Cero Gigantesco." **_The head-sized red cero in front of his hand suddenly quadrupled in size.

**(The Spectators)**

An explosion of epic proportions was seen by all the present arrancar. Only Ulquiorra could compare it to something equal in size, but he kept that to himself. Referring to his Lanzal Del Relampago. Before any of them could admire or comment on it, a massive shockwave caught them all by surprise, flattening the weaker Arrancar to the ground instantly. Even the Espada seemed to be affected by it. Aizen only smirked at the carnage.

"Ho-ho-holy shit!" Grimmjow was the first to say was going through everybody's head. "Did you see that?" He asked aloud, shaking in excitement.

"No, I averted my eyes at the last millisecond. Someone tell Kurosaki-san to do it again." Szayel said sarcastically, putting his glasses back on.

"Not very subtle." Zommari said calmly, not looking away from the pillar of fire in the distance.

"Damned effective though!" Nnoitora finished, smirking with glee. The Quinta said nothing else while he admired the destruction. He could certainly appreciate the obvious display of strength.

"This is just my opinion-" Starrk started, resting his head on his hand, very bored. "-but I think the fight is over."

"I think you are correct, Starrk-san." Aizen said, a grin on his face. With that, he vanished.

**(With Ichigo)**

Ichigo put out a small ember on his left shoulder with a brush of his hand. He stood in front of a massive hole. In the hole, Ichigo could see the Gillian Forest below, or at least the top of the very tall 'trees' that littered the place. Being a somewhat cautious person, Ichigo would have checked for a body, or some sort of affirmative that his opponent was dead, but he didn't think he needed to.

"A most impressive display, Kurosaki-san. If I do say so myself." Aizen said, a few feet behind Ichigo. Ichigo looked over his shoulder at Aizen, then chuckled.

"I _may _have overdone it." Ichigo started. "But, overkill is better than 'underkill', right?" He asked with a shrug.

"I agree." Aizen said genuinely, nodding. "I can assume you know what this means?"

"I get stuck with the responsibilities of being the strongest Espada in your army?" Ichigo asked, now turning to fully face Aizen.

"The strongest Arrancar, by that logic." Aizen corrected, looking amused. Ichigo shrugged.

"I guess." He said, not feeling all that impressed with himself.

"Seeing as you are now an Espada, there are several perks involved." Aizen began, hoping to get Ichigo into the idea of it all. "For one, you won't have to stay a second night in that small 'guest' room."

"The bed was quite comfortable, actually." Ichigo retorted, fighting back the urge to smirk. Aizen didn't respond to the joke.

"As the new Zero Espada, you may also claim Yammy-san's palace." Aizen told Ichigo, who blinked. He hadn't considered that. Guess that was a perk. A whole palace seemed a bit much, but he really wasn't going to complain.

"Uh, sweet?" Ichigo replied, a little unsure.

"You may also choose your own Fraccion." Aizen said with that friendly smile on his face. "I can show you the Fraccion potentials in the morning, after you've rested. Unless you already have someone in mind?" Aizen asked, 'absent-mindedly'.

"No, no. I don't really…" Ichigo stopped, looking up in thought. After a couple of seconds, he looked back down, a half-smirk on his face. "Actually, there might be a couple I have in mind."

_**(End of Chapter/Author's Note)**_

**And there you be having it, chapter 3 for your veiwing pleasure. If you think that the Ichigo vs Yammy fight ended too quickly, than you reacted in the way I hoped you would. Please begin to try and grasp just how strong Ichigo is in my story. And, I'm sure you noticed, but I'll just go ahead and say. I plan for a lot of Espada interaction, directly and indirectly caused by Ichigo. At the very least, they'll talk amongst each other more when they're together.**

**That is all, let's move onto the notes.**

**[1] Personally, I don't see Zommari as a total Aizen fanatic. Sure, he yelled Banzai in Aizen's name upon dieing, but that doesn't mean he absolutly worshiped the guy, does it? I like to think he was hoping Aizen, and the Espada, would continue and achieve their overall goal.**

**[2] There is no Grimmjow Fraccion in this story. Why, you ask? I will repeat what Ichigo said in Chapter 1. Only one Adjuchas got away from him. Meaning Grimmjow. The six that were tailing along with him... well*Tries to think of a way to sugarcoat it*They resigned from being characters in my story to pursue other goals according to their own agendas. I wished them luck then never heard from them again.**

**Musical Inspiration for this chapter(I will apologize in advance if a lot of the inspiration is Avenged Sevenfold... favorite band now.)**

**Band:Avenged Sevenfold**

**Song:Welcome to the Family**

_**I try and help you with the things that can't be justified. I need to warn you that there is no way to rationalize. So have you figured it out now? Have you figured it out? You. Can't. Win. This. Fight.**_

**There you have it. Please read and review. Constructive Criticism is welcome, but flamers will be hunted down and beaten up by me personally, I assure you.**


	4. Come to Life

**Here we go, peoples! Chappa Furr! Here, we'll start to see some camaraderie with a couple of Espada and Ichigo, and other stuff :D With nothing incredibly witty to say, I'll just move onto the Review Corner!**

**The Sinful:I wasn't aware people gave him small mask fragmants :/ But at least in my story it stands out, right? :D**

**B.W. Ink:Thank you very much for your compliments! Hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

**OpenSourceArtist:Glad you like it. I will be continuing the Espada interactions, though I will try and make it believable :P**

**lightningblade49:Then you are a very suspicious person Bl**

**dbz wrting for fun:I will try, sir. Have a good read!**

**halberd42:Thank you very much. The fight was fun to type out. I tink all the fights will be fun to type, considering my favorite character is kicking A' in them :D**

**Too lazy to log in:Happy to see you found it funny XD Yes, strictly IchigoxLoly. If you want to read an IchigoxHarem story with the other female arrancar, read my OTHER story :P**

**Umbra8191:You will wait no longer... for THIS chapter.**

**darkmachines:Given my obvious love for Loly and Menoly, you can guess I hate Yammy too? XD**

**EVA-Saiyajin:I will very much try. Enjoy!**

**Farmer Kyle:Thank you for pointing that out, for it has been fixed. Glad you liked the fight and the story :P**

**Sentiment Remains:Your wait is over, go ahead and find out :P**

**Desuse:Indeed. Strictly IchigoxLoly. First of it's kind, sad to say. Hopefully it won't be the only.**

**Clemerl:Well, here ya go.**

**Orchamus:(Yammy:WHAT THE FU-*BOOOOM!*) Yes, I plan for their to be some real 'bro'ness when it comes to Ichigo and the Espada :P**

**gagboy:Well, Ichigo might've, if Harribel had extended her hand. After all, Harribel's hands are always tucked firmly behind her two pillows, aren't they? 9_9**

**fujingodofwind:Then the whole reason I'm making these stories is coming together! XD Please, continue to like the pairing(And spread it around. I'm obsessed with IchigoxLoly)**

**King of the Fallen:I, myself, admit that this story may never be as good as Breaking Routine is supposedly. Either way, glad you like it so far.**

**Hm, now that I'm thinking about it, let me go ahead and get this out there. For those of you who have only read this story of mine, I have another story. It's called Breaking Routine. It's a IchigoxHarem story, with the girls being Loly, Menoly, Apacci, Sun-Sun, and Lilynette. Strange huh? But that's the point. Please drop by and have a read? And leave a review afterwards if you liked it? I'd appreciate it.**

**And that would be it, isn't it? Enjoy!**

**(Las Noches/Throne Room)**

"Well, my dear Espada, I am sure you are all aware of the most recent change in the ranks." Aizen began, looking at the gathered Espada. They were all here, excluding Yammy for obvious reasons. He motioned to Ichigo on his left. "Your new Cero."

"Nice to be a part of the club." Ichigo joked, not taking the situation very seriously. His nonchalant attitude caused Grimmjow, Nnoitora, and even Harribel to roll their eyes.

"Kurosaki-san." Aizen spoke up again, getting Ichigo's attention. His hand was outstretched towards the new Cero. "Where would you like your tattoo placed?"

"My tattoo?" Ichigo blinked in slight confusion. He then recalled the tattoo that Yammy had once displayed proudly on his left shoulder. "Is it necessary?"

"It's a symbol." Aizen said simply. "It shows the Arrancar, and your enemies, your rank among the Espada."

"Hm. If I need a tattoo on my body to prove my rank, I wouldn't be a very good Espada otherwise." Ichigo realized, pleasantly surprising a couple of Espada. Mainly Szayel, Zommari, and Harribel.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't." Aizen smirked very lightly as he lowered his hand. "While you are second in command of this Army, there are a couple of rules."

"Oh?" Ichigo asked simply, with an eyebrow raised.

"Rest assured, these rules are for the safety of Las Noches. Not to exert the illusion of control over you." Aizen affirmed with a slight wave of his hand. "There are only two. The first is that Espada with the rank of 'Four' and lower are prohibited from using Resurreccion inside of Las Noches, unless deemed necessary. I'm afraid the dome wouldn't be able to support itself under the reiatsu."

"Hm, makes sense." Ichigo said honestly, scratching his cheek briefly.

"And two, the use of a Gran Rey Cero is also prohibited inside of Las Noches, unless deemed necessary. The effect of the attack is enough to distort the artificial atmosphere." Aizen explained casually.

_'He's just setting up Las Noches' demise with these "deemed necessaries".' _Ichigo thought to himself humorously. "Gran Rey Cero?"

"A cero that is made by mixing the blood of an Espada with their reiatsu. The effects are quite devastating." Aizen said, his eyes lighting up ever so slightly. Ichigo vowed to try it, outside of Las Noches of course.

"Is that it?" Ichigo asked, changing the subject.

"Yes." Aizen nodded. "Now, I will send someone to inform your particular choices of Fraccion-."

"Nah." Ichigo cut Aizen off, surprising the other Espada at his bold action. "I'd much rather tell them myself. More fun that way."

"If you insist." Aizen said with a light smirk, ignoring Ichigo's action for now.

"If that's all, I'll see you guys later." Ichigo said, deciding to dismiss himself. With a slight wave, he turned and walked out of the Throne Room.

"I'll see you guys later?" Baraggan asked aloud once Ichigo was gone. "Our new Cero departs with 'I'll see you guys later'?"

"Evidently so." Harribel answered, not looking the Segunda's way.

"Feh." Baraggan spat. He then left the room, disappointed.

"Well, I would like to ask that you all give Kurosaki-san the proper respect that he deserves." It sounded more like an order than a request. At their different affirmatives, Aizen nodded, sitting back in his throne. "You are all free to continue your usual routines."

**(Thirty Minutes Later)**

"I can't believe this!" Loly exclaimed, looking down and groaning. She then looked up and at the source of her frustration. "You bastard."

"Oh come on." Ichigo rolled his eyes, resting his head in his hand as it was propped on the arm of the couch he was seated on. "Give it at least five minutes before you start complaining."

"Five minutes would be too long as your Fraccion! Hell, five minutes is too long to be around you!" Loly retorted, her hands on her hips defiantly, intent on getting her point across. Menoly only observed the two.

'_I wish Loly-chan would at least give him a chance.' _Menoly thought to herself, finding herself unable to pick a side here. _Then again, Ichigo could have been a little more… tactful with his message.'_

**(Ten Minutes Earlier)**

_Knock. Knock._

_Loly quickly turned her head and stared at the door to her and Menoly's room. She glanced at a small clock and saw that, while it was eight in the morning, it was still early; at least, early for someone to want them. Setting down her comb, she made for the door. She looked over her shoulder briefly to find that Menoly had poked her head around the corner to see who it was. Loly opened the door. Her eyes widened._

"_You."_

"_Yep." Ichigo answered, smirking. He could already see Loly becoming annoyed._

"_What do you want?" Loly groaned out, barely managing to sound somewhat respectful._

"_I'm here to tell you both two things." Ichigo started, holding up his hand. His index finger went up. "One, to gloat about you being wrong about my duel." Loly growled at him this time, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink at being proven wrong. Ichigo's middle finger went up with his index now. "And two, as the new Cero Espada, I've chosen you two as my Fraccion. Pack your things and meet me at Yammy's old palace." Before either of them could say anything, Ichigo sonido'd away, leaving a speechless Menoly and a spluttering Loly._

"_W-what?" Loly spluttered out in shock. "H-he can't do that!"_

"_Technically, he can." Menoly deadpanned, taking a step out to be around the corner fully. "Cero Espada."_

_Loly growled. She was about to close the door, when Ichigo appeared in the doorway again._

"_Oh, and you don't have the right to refuse." He gave them a two-fingered salute then sonido'd away again. Loly's face went red in anger this time and she slammed the door._

**(Present Time)**

To be honest, Menoly was rather excited about this development. For a while now, she had wanted to serve an Espada as a Fraccion. It certainly beat doing miscellaneous things that anyone told her to do. She knew Loly felt the same. At least Ichigo seemed to be quite polite and levelheaded, meaning Loly and her wouldn't be subject to anything…bad. After all, he put up with Loly quite humorously. He had Menoly's trust, now he had to get Loly's trust.

"This is because we escorted you, isn't it? Just because we were ORDERED to escort you to Aizen-sama doesn't mean we're friends! Another thing, you-." Loly realized that Ichigo was staring blankly at her. "Hey! Are you listening to me?"

"No." Ichigo said simply, succeeding in further angering Loly.

"Why, you-." Loly started, but was cut off.

"Just listen to me for a second." Ichigo said, holding his hand up. "I have my reasons for choosing you two, if you want to know ask me sometime. Secondly, you don't need to get all worked up, Loly, it's not like I'm making you into my slaves."

Loly stopped at this; even Menoly looked taken off guard and tilted her head to the side curiously. That was one of the reasons, despite Ichigo just being a sarcastic pain in the ass that Loly was objecting to this. "So, you mean…" Menoly trailed off.

"This isn't a dictatorship here, guys." Ichigo assured them with a small grin. He then stood up. "Alright, I'm going to have a look around the new place. You guys are free to pick any room you want." Ichigo told them, waving his hand care-freely.

"Ichigo-sama, what do you want us to do after we've chosen our quarters?" Menoly asked respectfully, clasping her hands at her waist.

"Do whatever you want." Ichigo told them, shrugging. "Not like I would have anything for you to do." He pointed out. Menoly seemed a little confused, which Ichigo found amusing. "I'll give us a day to get comfortable here…then I'll start training you."

"What?" It was surprising Loly didn't get whiplash, considering how fast her head spun around to look at him. "Training?" She looked horrified at the idea.

"Yep, should be fun, huh?" Ichigo asked, half-smirking, just knowing this was further aggravating Loly.

"You bastard, we don't need your training." Loly told Ichigo firmly, crossing her arms. Ichigo turned to leave.

"Meh, we'll see." He said, before vanishing from sight around a corner.

"Loly, just give him a chance, please?" Menoly asked her sister seriously. "Don't give him a hard time just because 'you don't like him'."

"That's not…grr." Loly growled, clutching her skirt to stop herself from doing something destructive.

"No matter his personality, he's the Cero Espada. We should be grateful he, of all people, chose us." Menoly pointed out. "You could return the favor by treating him with _some _respect. It's obvious he doesn't care much about it, but he deserves it." Menoly felt a little awkward scolding her sister. It wasn't something she did too often.

Loly didn't say anything in return, only looking to be contemplating many things. Menoly observed this, and then an idea came to mind. "Just give him a couple of weeks…and I won't tell him."

For a second time, Loly's head snapped around to look at her sister. Her eyes and expression were that of horror. "You wouldn't."

Despite Loly's obvious aggravation towards Ichigo, that still didn't change the fact that he was 'hot'. Apparently, Loly, being sure that Menoly wouldn't use it against her, decided to tell her sister that, despite Ichigo being annoying as hell, was quite handsome. If Menoly told Ichigo, Loly was sure he wouldn't take her arguments, or her, seriously at all.

"We'll see." Menoly said, just as Ichigo did minutes earlier, and turned to go pick out her own room. Loly followed her.

"You wouldn't!"

**(Thirty Minutes Later)**

'_While all this is nice…. Seems a bit much for the three of us, yet alone Yammy.' _Ichigo thought to himself neutrally as he wandered the halls, his hands in his pockets. Most of the rooms were empty, just space. _'I guess the former Cero Espada just wanted a palace bigger than all the others.' _He concluded. Oh well, nothing could be done about that.

His thoughts soon shifted to his new position. 'Strongest Arrancar in Aizen's Army' was how Aizen himself had put it. Did that mean anything other than the title? Perhaps he should ask Aizen just what he could do with the rank. If training Loly and Menoly would have a dramatic effect, then perhaps he could expand that to the other Numeros. At the very least, he could help the Numeros who weren't Fraccion.

Why stop there? The Espada themselves might need a refresher course. The thought of him acting as a drill sergeant to the other Espada brought an amused grin to his face. Now he had to do it. Of course, speaking of the Espada, Ichigo had made a silent vow to himself to try to establish some camaraderie with his new comrades, no matter how difficult.

In fact, he agreed to fight Grimmjow. He also agreed to meet with Szayel. Those two would be a start, Grimmjow first though. Even if it was a hostile meeting, they did have some history. He also did have a small chat with the Primera Espada, Starrk, before his dues. The man seemed pleasant enough; he may even possess 'friend' qualities.

To be sure, Ichigo had plans. First things first though, he had agreed to spar with Grimmjow. Grimmjow may call it a 'fight', but to Ichigo, 'spar' seemed more fitting. Using a sonido, Ichigo quickly left his palace.

**(Later/Outside of Grimmjow's Palace)**

"Bout time we got around to this, Cero!" Grimmjow declared, flexing his fingers threateningly. He regarded Ichigo with a dangerous smirk.

"Cero? Is that my new name then?" Ichigo asked, somewhat annoyed at the thought. "I prefer Ichigo… but whatever floats your boat." He added with a shrug.

"Che!" Grimmjow scoffed. "Ichigo, whatever. Both of the names are the same person." He pointed out, frowning.

"True." Ichigo shrugged. "I guess we're going all out. That would make for a rather short fight, don't you think." Ichigo asked absent-mindedly. Grimmjow growled.

"Don't underestimate me! I'm not that big tub of shit you defeated so easily." Grimmjow warned, reaching for his Zanpakuto.

"Well, you seem to forget that the 'tub of shit' was the former Cero Espada." Ichigo smirked. "While you're the current Sexta Espada." He knew this would set Grimmjow off.

"Fuck you!" Right away, Grimmjow had unsheathed his zanpakuto, glaring at Ichigo furiously. Using sonido, Grimmjow intended to catch Ichigo's left side. He couldn't carry out his plan as a hand suddenly clamped down on his face. Grimmjow's entire lower body lurched forward into the air. Ichigo used this to slam Grimmjow headfirst into the sand.

"I don't want to undermine your ability, but this is how this 'fight'-" Ichigo used the term loosely. "-will go if you insist on a rematch." He released Grimmjow, allowing the Sexta to roll off to the side and get up.

"Don't give me that shit!" Grimmjow yelled, furious. He slammed his free hand down on the width of his blade. "I'll show you how much stronger I've become! **Grind, Pantera**!"

In a swirl of reiatsu and sand, Grimmjow's features became much more feral. His hair was longer, his ears now animal-like, and his fingers and toes sported dangerous incisors. With a wicked look in his eye, Grimmjow roared. The shockwave flew past Ichigo, causing his Arrancar robe to flutter in the wind. Without a moment's hesitation, Grimmjow attacked.

Grimmjow flew towards Ichigo at a rather impressive speed, his right hand reared back to give Ichigo a vicious slice to his torso. Moments before the attack connected, Ichigo simply grabbed Grimmjow's wrist and tossed the Sexta overhead. Grimmjow touched down on his feet and immediately went on the offensive.

Rather than counter, Ichigo simply dodged any attack Grimmjow tried on him. Every kick, punch, claw, and occasional head butt were avoided with ease, while Ichigo walked backwards at a moderate pace. Despite the several openings Grimmjow presented him, Ichigo let this continue for a good half-minute. However, this only lasted until Grimmjow gave so much of an opening, Ichigo felt it couldn't be overlooked.

Courtesy of Ichigo's foot, Grimmjow was sent flying in the air, the armor his Resurreccion provided cracked inwards, cutting through his bare chest. Quickly regaining his composure, Grimmjow grasped onto the air for footing and managed to stop his rapid ascent. "Damn you Kurosaki!"

In one quick, fluid motion, Grimmjow took his index finger, swiped a bit of blood off his chest, and pointed an open hand at Ichigo below him. Recalling something Aizen had told him, Ichigo guessed that Grimmjow was going to use a Gran Rey Cero, which happened to be forbidden inside of Las Noches. Aizen had said that the mere reiatsu from the attack would distort the atmosphere, and if it connected to the canopy, it would create a hole in Las Noches.

Thinking fast, Ichigo sonido'd in front of Grimmjow, placing his index finger in Grimmjow's open palm. The interference distorted the charging cero violently, causing it to backfire in the form of an explosion.

_Boom!_

While the dome was unaffected thanks to Ichigo's quick intervention, several of the red structures littered around them cracked violently from the shockwave. It was a miracle that they didn't collapse under their own weight at this point. When the smoke cleared, Ichigo was holding Grimmjow's wrist firmly, despite the Sexta's best efforts to break free.

"I agreed to a rematch, Grimmjow." Ichigo said while his expression was now dead serious, "But you're endangering the lives of other Arrancar now. As the new leader of the Espada, I can't allow that."

Ichigo suddenly swung Grimmjow over his head and threw him down at the ground at a very high speed. When Grimmjow hit the ground, the sand column could've been seen for hundred of yards around them. Ichigo looked on sternly as the sand began to fall back to the ground. Remembering their last fight, Grimmjow would probably have one more attack; at the very least in a last ditch effort to win.

Just as Ichigo predicted, five claw-like streaks flew out of the sand coming towards him. When the attack got close enough, Ichigo simply held up his hand, not even outstretching his arm. The Desgarron hit his open hand and was effectively stopped dead in its tracks. Despite its best efforts to continue, his attack was held back firmly by Ichigo.

Ichigo could have simply 'held' the attack until it dissipated, but he felt it was time to end this 'duel'. He planted his left foot forward and pushed against the attack with his hand, outstretching his arm while doing so. The Desgarron cracked and broke inward on itself, the blue particles falling slowly down to the ground. Grimmjow could only stare as his strongest was destroyed effortlessly by the Cero's _bare hand_. Breaking out of his stupor, Grimmjow looked back up to keep his sights on Ichigo, only to find that he was no longer there. Grimmjow looked around frantically to find his opponent. A hand suddenly clamped down on his shoulder. Grimmjow quickly turned to look when-.

Wham!

His face met Ichigo's fist head on. Grimmjow didn't go flying backwards, due to Ichigo's grip, which only made it hurt even more. Ichigo relaxed his grip, which caused Grimmjow to slump to the ground. The Sexta was seeing stars and his ears were ringing.

'_F-fu… that got…me good.' _When Grimmjow's vision returned completely, he looked up, fully expecting Ichigo to be looking down at him. To his complete surprise, Ichigo was kneeling next to him, his eyes holding nothing but respect and showing that he was impressed.

"You're still conscious." Ichigo asked, examining Grimmjow. "Wow. You're pretty tough." He stood up and further surprised Grimmjow by offering his hand in assistance. Grimmjow refused the help, unsurprisingly, and managed to stand up on his own. While he did so, his Resurreccion sealed itself. He swayed slightly, but overall looked well enough. "I think we're done for now."

Grimmjow put Pantera back into its sheath. "I lost." He stated bluntly, oddly calm.

"Well, yeah." Ichigo blinked, scratching his cheek with his left index finger. "I can see why you're the Sexta, though." At Grimmjow's expression, Ichigo continued. "I bet if you trained, even a little, you'd rise through the ranks easily.

"Train?" The word seemed without meaning to Grimmjow.

"Everyone can improve, even I can." Ichigo told him sincerely, putting his hands in his pockets. "Try it. If you need help, or maybe a training dummy, I'll help you out if I can."

"…" At Grimmjow's contemplative silence, Ichigo took this time to leave, turning swiftly.

"I'll see you later, buddy." Ichigo waved over his shoulder. He couldn't see Grimmjow's expression, but before he sonido'd away, the Sexta was looking at him with nothing but respect in his gaze.

'_Train…'_

**(Szayel's Palace)**

"Szayel-sama! Szayel-Sama!"

Szayel-Aporro turned as one of his many Fraccion, Lumina, called his name. "Hm?"

"Visitor! Guest, guest!" This time, Lumina's twin, Verona, answered. Szayel raised an eyebrow curiously. The cameras and sensors hadn't picked up anyone entering his palace. Nevertheless, there was Ichigo walking up behind the two twins. He seemed to be looking at the equipment in the room.

"Ichigo-sama? To what do I owe this unexpected honor?" Szayel asked respectfully, turning to fully face the new Cero Espada.

"I agreed to a few tests." Ichigo stated simply with a slight shrug. Szayel's eyes lit up brightly.

"Ah! Yes you did. Forgive me for not taking you seriously, or I would have prepared." Szayel said, feeling a little awkward. It was true. He honestly hadn't expected the Cero Espada, of all people, to show up for some testing.

"When I say something, I mean it." There was no malice in Ichigo's tone as he said this, neither was there scolding. "As we agreed, nothing too drastic?"

"Of course! Aizen-sama would be most displeased if I handicapped you in anyway." Szayel informed him, adjusting his glasses. "Besides, I had no intention in doing so anyway. I am merely curious of a couple things. Right this way, if you would like to get started." Szayel gestured.

"Sure." Szayel led Ichigo off to the next room. Instead of what Ichigo had guessed were security monitors in the last room, this room was full of all sorts of computers and monitors, very large ones at that.

"Kindly have a seat." Szayel instructed, motioning to what looked like an examination table. When Ichigo seated himself, Szayel asked, "May I examine your zanpakuto?"

"Uh, sure." Ichigo agreed, not really bothered. He took the nameless weapon off his waist and held it out for Szayel to take. The scientist took it from Ichigo's grip and looked it over. To Ichigo's surprise, Szayel turned swiftly and began, at a speed Ichigo hadn't seen before, began typing away on a computer. After about a minute of this, an image of Ichigo's zanpakuto appeared on the screen in three different views. Streams of data rolled down the screen next to the pictures. "You find anything unusual."

"None at all. Just some notes." Szayel said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "The only thing I can say that's odd about your zanpakuto is its peculiar color." He said, admiring the bright silver-notched steel. "Oh well, nothing too interesting." He almost sounded disappointed. He handed Ichigo back his zanpakuto

"Thanks." Ichigo thanked as he put his zanpakuto back in his sash.

"Now, please allow me to cut your arm off." Szayel requested, his hand on his own zanpakuto. Ichigo sweat dropped.

"Eh, what?"

"Don't be too alarmed, I merely wish to test your regenerative abilities." Szayel assured Ichigo, nodding.

"Oh." Ichigo blinked. Szayel didn't mention that not all Arrancar could regenerate limbs. Oh well. If Ichigo couldn't, then his limb could be reattached. "Ok then. Do I get any anesthesia?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

_Slice!_

"OWW!" Ichigo yelled rather loudly. "Son of a-!" Szayel rolled his eyes at the Cero's antics.

"Don't be a baby. It's merely an arm." He scolded playfully. "Why don't you open your eyes and have a look?"

"What?" Ichigo managed. He opened his eyes and, expecting to see a bloody stump, was dumbfounded to see a full arm right where it should be. Were it not for the severed arm lying next to him, Ichigo would have guessed Szayel hadn't really cut his arm off. Ichigo flexed his fingers. "Whoa."

"High-speed regeneration, indeed." Szayel said, amused, looking at the new arm curiously.

"How is this possible?" Ichigo couldn't help but ask incredulously.

"Isn't that the question?" Szayel replied, clapping his hands once. Lumina slowly snuck up to the examination table and grabbed Ichigo's severed arm, but whined when it dissipated to his touch. "If I knew how select Arrancar could regenerate limbs, then our infirmary would be much more helpful." He said humorously. That made Ichigo think.

"You think, with enough study, you could figure it out." Ichigo asked carefully, with an eyebrow raised.

"Of course I could." Szayel scoffed. "The problem is finding someone with high-speed regeneration, or regeneration at all, that will allow me to lop off their arm over and over again to figure it out. To be honest, you're the first." Szayel then blinked. "Ichigo-sama, are you suggesting-?"

"If what you said is true, about the infirmary and all, then it'd be a great help to the Army." Ichigo said seriously, fully aware of what he was proposing. "I'm willing to help with this."

"Excellent!' Szayel exclaimed ecstatically. "I had other tests in mind, but this supersedes them all I think. Shall we get started right away?" He asked, quite impatiently.

"If you want. Don't you need some…I don't know, tools, equipment?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

_Slice!_

"OW! Mother Ffff-!"

**(Two Hours Later)**

"That was a most productive examination, wouldn't you say." Szayel asked, showing Ichigo to the exit personally.

"Examination? You did nothing but cut my arm off for the past two hours." Ichigo said, pretending to look annoyed.

"It's as I said, an examination." Szayel repeated with a grin. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"I'll see you later." Ichigo nodded to the Octava, approaching the giant doors to the Palace.

"Thank you again, Ichigo-sama." Szayel said, genuinely grateful. It surprised Ichigo a little, but he recovered.

"Don't mention it." He replied, dismissing the thanks. Exiting the Palace, Ichigo sonido'd back to his palace.

**(Ichigo's Palace)**

"Ichigo-sama, you've been gone a while." Menoly pointed out, standing at attention as her new leader walked into the common area. She watched, and sweat dropped, as Ichigo simply walked by her and collapsed on one of the couches.

"Looked what the cat dragged in." Loly said, with a half-smirk on her face as she watched Ichigo.

"Is everything alright?" Menoly asked, unsure of just what to do.

"I had my arm cut off repeatedly the past two hours." Ichigo stated bluntly. "Other than that, I'm doing great." Loly did a slight double take.

"Your arm was cut off?" She asked, looking at both of his arms while asking.

"I don't want to talk about it." Ichigo whined out playfully. Loly, and Menoly, rolled their eyes. "Did you two pick out your rooms?"

"Oh yes!" Menoly answered right away. "Top floor. It had a good view." She said, her cheeks a little red from embarrassment. Ichigo nodded and looked at Loly.

"As far away from yours as I could" Loly stated triumphantly, quite proud of herself. Ichigo propped his head up.

"Really? That's funny, considering I haven't chosen my room yet." Ichigo told her with a smirk. Loly's own face heated up in embarrassment. She felt dumb. Loly grumbled and sat down, her arms crossed. "Say, is there anything to eat around here?"

"Well, the Espada have well-stocked kitchens in their palaces." Menoly answered. "Us Numeros have our own little mess hall that we eat in." She told him, scratching her wrist out of habit. She was now aware of her own hunger.

"Well, where do you guys want to eat? Here or the Mess Hall?" Ichigo asked suddenly, looking at Menoly then Loly for an answer. Again, Ichigo managed to surprise them both.

"Wait." Loly said, uncrossing her arms "You're going to let us… eat with you?"

"Why not? Is that bad?" Ichigo asked simply.

"N-no, sir! Not at all. It's just… it'd be a bit unheard of." Menoly told him a little sheepishly.

"If spending time with my Fraccion in unheard of, then all the more reason to do it. What do you say?" Ichigo asked warmly.

Loly and Menoly looked at each other, looking to be having a silent conversation. They then looked back at Ichigo.

"W-well, if you don't mind…" Menoly trailed off nervously, and then began again. "The Mess Hall is a little far from here, and it would just be…. Well, it would be easier-."

"Can we just eat here?" Loly asked suddenly, cutting her stuttering sister off.

"Sure." Ichigo nodded his head. "You don't need to ask again, this is _our _palace, isn't it." At their eager nods, Ichigo stood up and proceeded towards the kitchen that he had seen while looking around earlier.

**(After lunch)**

"Food was a little bland." Ichigo stated.

"Sorry?" Menoly asked sheepishly, following him as he made his way back to the common area. Loly was behind the two of them.

"Hey, it's not your fault." Ichigo waved her off. "I think Aizen's more interested in just keeping everyone nourished, rather than how the food actually tastes. Maybe I should go into the World of the Living and get some food for everyone?"

Menoly snickered at the thought. Loly rolled her eyes, even though she found it a little funny.

"Well, I'm going to pick out my own room. I'll see you both later." Loly and Menoly watched him leave. When he was out of earshot, Menoly turned to Loly.

"I like him." Menoly stated bluntly. "I don't have any problem being his Fraccion." Loly sighed reluctantly.

"Ok, ok. He's not _that _bad. Ya know, when he's not being a complete ass" She scowled at the confession.

"You know he only does it just to get a rise out of you… you do the same thing." Menoly had a blank expression. "Ya know, when you act like a, I don't know, complete bitch?"

Loly could only stare at her sister, shocked. She was dangerously close to going off on Menoly, were it not for her sister's sudden giggle. Loly still growled, but said nothing.

"He's probably going to pick a room close to yours." Menoly told Loly, thinking. "_Just _to see your reaction."

"I'll kill him." Loly said suddenly, more exasperated than annoyed.

"Must say, I'm a little eager about the training he has in mind." Menoly added unexpectedly.

"That makes one of us."

**(The Next Day/Outside of Ichigo's Palace)**

"Sonido Training?" Loly deadpanned.

"Excited?" Ichigo replied, smirking, his hands in his pockets.

"Why Sonido Training?" Menoly asked respectfully.

"Sonido is a necessity to us Arrancar. Being excellent at it will help in the long run." Ichigo explained. He then added, "Besides, speed is my strong point, so it'd only be natural I'd want it to be yours as well."

Menoly seemed to understand, as she nodded and waited for instruction. Loly, on the other hand, voiced her own opinion.

"I don't need Sonido training." She stated as a matter-of-fact, crossing her arms.

"Is that so?" Ichigo smirk only increased in size. An idea had come to mind. "Tell you what, if you can Sonido away from here successfully, I'll admit to you that you don't need Sonido training."

Loly blinked in surprise. "Wait… you mean if I can just sonido away…?" She trailed off.

"Uh-huh." Ichigo nodded, a knowing look on his face. Loly looked at him for a few seconds, before she got in a 'ready' stance. She then sonido'd away, intent on getting as far away from Ichigo as she could.

_Plop!_

Loly yelped out in surprise as she was dropped in the sand, landing on her butt. Blinking in confusion, she looked up at and saw Menoly standing on her right, looking very surprised. Ichigo was standing where he had been. She then noticed she was sitting in the spot she had been standing in seconds earlier.

Loly was confused at to what happened exactly, but when she saw Ichigo's smirk, she figured it out. She growled at him, her face turning it's usual scarlet when she was embarrassed. Loly stood up again, this time looking determined. Then, suddenly, she sonido'd away, absolutely intent on escaping.

_Plop!_

Just as before Loly was dropped in the same spot as before, and just as before, Ichigo was smirking down at her, his hands in his pockets. She glared at him.

"Menoly, it looks like the actual training will be delayed. You can get comfortable… it looks like Loly-_chan_ isn't done." Ichigo said humorously, putting emphasis on chan. Loly's glare intensified.

'_Chan? CHAN? Who does this bastard think he is? I'll show him!' _With that, she tried again on escaping.

**(Fifteen Minutes Later)**

Menoly was amazed, to say the least. In the last fifteen minutes, Ichigo looked like he hadn't even moved. Were it not for the subtle ripples in the sand at his feet after he retrieved Loly, she would have thought he wasn't moving at all.

Loly was exhausted, on the other hand. She had been using Sonido almost nonstop and it was really getting to her. No matter what she tried, which way she went, Ichigo would easily catch her in under a second and drop her in the same spot. Moreover, her ass was getting sore!

Currently, Loly was sitting down, courtesy of Ichigo dropping her. There was sweat dripping down her brow, and her hair was slightly disheveled.

"How?" She panted out, looking up to meet his gaze, too tired to try to glare.

"How?" Ichigo blinked, the calm question, especially from Loly, catching him by surprise. He got down on one knee to be at her eye-level. "You're too slow." It came as a kind answer, not belittling or scolding. Loly shook her head.

"How are you so fast?" She asked the full question, swallowing her pride.

"You want to know why I'm so fast?" Ichigo asked just as calmly. Loly nodded. Ichigo stood up, a small grin on his face. He then offered her his hand. "I'd be happy to teach you how, if you'll let me." Menoly leaned in slightly to watch the exchange closely.

Loly looked at his hand, then up at him. For some reason, Loly found herself reaching up and grasping his hand. "Ok."

Ichigo's small grin went full-force. "Great. Let's get started."

_**(End of Chapter/Author's Note)**_

**There you have it, there it was, and there it is. Hope you liked it and all... I got nothing :/ Let's just move on to the song, shall we?**

**Musical Inspiration for this Chapter;**

**Band:Alter Bridge**

**Song:Come to Life**

_**There's nothing we should have to fear! (Nothin' cause) It's allright! We've come to life. I'll never shed another tear, (nothing cause) it's allright. We've come to life.**_

**There you go. Please read and review! Constructive Criticism is welcome, but flamers will be hunted down and beaten up by me personally, I assure you.**


	5. Desecrate Through Reverence

**Well... here we are again. Another chapter... :D In this chapter... we'll see Ichigo... doing some stuff! Bl And on that bombshell, the Review Corner!**

**Clemerl:Why, thank you. Please enjoy**

**darkmachines:A 'like' for Loly is a bit of an... understatement...*quickly closes closet door so sunlight won't pentrate the pure gold Loly statue* I keep forgetting to check out your stories :O I'm sorry! Please enjoy though!**

**Umbra8191:Well, here you go :D**

**Orchamus:I am trying to have make this story humorous, but with underlying tones of seriousness :P Glad 'you people' like it :D Please continue to enjoy**

**EVA-Saiyajin:Thank you very much! I will try!**

**Farmer Kyle:I'm very glad you're liking it so much :) Hopefully, I can continue to write in a way that people find tolerable**

**halberd42:I'm sorry I inadvertently hurt you T_T Don't sue me! I hope this chapter gets a good rating from you :P**

**cmcwiki:*rises from behind couch* Hey, hey! I'm a teenager! D: But, I do get what you're saying... you know what there needs to be more of? IchigoxLoly!**

**BicolourRaptor:Well, your wait is over!**

**King of the Fallen:Hope this update was fast enough for ya. Enjoy, will ya?**

**Inverness:I agree. Ichigo's not evil. And no matter how good the author, Ichigo just can't be portrayed as evil.**

**B.W. Ink:Sorry the update rate has ya annoyed. I suppose you would be correct in assuming I 'have a life' XD I did start at a new High School a couple weeks ago, plus I have a job I work at immediately following school... but I'm trying *Pumps fist***

**urfan:I'm glad you like it so much. I do love those type of stories too... particularly why I no longer follow Naruto :D**

**Anonymous(1):...Write that story! *Explodes* I dunno if you're just trying to ellicit a faster update from me, but if you're not, write it! There needs to be more! More! Moar!*Explodes***

**Toaneo07 version 2.0:Err... is that sarcasm? ^_^ I hope not :o**

**Rc1212:Well... enjoy!**

**Anonymous(2):Maybe he buried them to make a arm tree? *drum set dun-dun-ding***

**Anonymous(3):*Shields face from possible projectile***

**BlakeDuff:You flatter me XD Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope this chapter doesn't change that opinion in any way**

**Nameless Sky:Perhaps that secret will come out in da future? 0_o**

**Grinja:Hmm... should I add Menoly? :o I was kinda going for a strict IchigoxLoly here**

**Officer Hot-Pants:I wil ltry to be careful. It is hard to not make my favorite character even more B.A. I will admit :P**

**jyubi10:I hope Ichigo remains to be one of the strongest characters, what with the recent turn of events in the manga :x**

**A:Perhaps, but I felt this type of relationship would fit Loly. Rest assured, though, it will escalate... and stuff :D**

**btalover:XD Thanks very much! Here's moar!**

**Nexus the 13th:Act more Hollow? ... Nah, not so much :/ Doing that would make Ichigo only himself in name, and dat's not cool *shakes head* Besides, being turned into a Hollow, and then getting rational thought, doesn't mean you have to act like a Hollow. 'Specially considering Ichigo's character**

**Well, dere ya go. I'm finished with dat. On with the chapter!**

**(Las Noches)**

"Very impressive, Kurosaki-san." Aizen complimented. To Aizen's initial surprise, Ichigo had appeared before him requesting that he instruct him in the use of Bakudō. They had been at it for close to thirty minutes now. So far, Ichigo had gotten down Bakudō Numbers One, Four, and Nine. "Perhaps a little slow at first, but you learn quickly." He added, examining Ichigo's work.

"Yeah, well, it'd help if I had a clearer explanation on how to do it." Ichigo replied, waving his free hand.

"It is as I said, Kurosaki-san. Trying to describe how to use a Bakudō is difficult, like trying to describe color to someone who is blind." Aizen told Ichigo, frowning slightly. "I find that you either understand it or you don't. Fortunately for you, you seem to be able to catch on quickly."

"Heh, thanks." Ichigo scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Now, it might be prudent to release Gin-san" Aizen suggested, an amused expression on his face. Ichigo blinked, then turned to look at Gin, who was still bound by Bakudō Number Nine, Horin. The particular spell was an orange hued tendril, crackling with yellow energy that shot from the wielder's fingertips and wrapped around an area of the target. Almost like a lasso.

"Yes, I think so too." Gin blinked.

"Whoops, my bad…how do I do that?" Ichigo asked, feeling rather stupid.

"Simply cut off your flow of reiatsu to the technique." Aizen instructed simply. Ichigo nodded and did as Aizen had said. Cancelling his flow of reiatsu, something that should have been obvious, the lasso-like attack dissipated. Gin frowned.

"That was unpleasant," the man said simply. "Guess you never can 'get ready' to be paralyzed, eh?" he asked humorously. Ichigo snorted. As much as Gin creeped Ichigo out, he was a rather friendly person, overall. He was always in a joking mood, never really taking things seriously, or caring. Ichigo admitted he was starting to like the person.

"Ok. What's next?" Ichigo asked, turning back to Aizen.

"Next? Do you wish to learn a Hadō this time?" Aizen's eyes actually seemed to twinkle at the prospect of teaching a destructive spell, eager to see what results Ichigo would yield. He was disappointed when Ichigo shook his head.

"Nah. Another Bakudō is fine." He answered with a slight wave of his hand. To be honest, Ichigo was having fun. This Bakudō stuff could really come in handy, whether it be a fight or disciplining Arrancar, something he hasn't done, but it doesn't hurt to prepare.

"Very well. Next, you can try something a little more complicated." Aizen started. "Let's see here…"

"Aizen-sama, perhaps Kurosaki-kun would find Bakudō Number Sixty One enjoyable?" Gin suggested, with a carefree grin on his face while doing so. Aizen raised an eyebrow.

"Sixty One, you say? That would be quite the jump, wouldn't it?" Aizen asked, almost patronizing, turning to Ichigo for input. Ichigo shrugged.

"Hey, I'll give it a shot." He said, ready to try anything.

"If you wish. Now, observe closely." Aizen told Ichigo, pointing his index finger at Gin, who blinked in surprise.

"Wait, on me-?"

"**Bakudō Sixty-One. Rikujokoro.**" Aizen said calmly. There was a sudden spark of yellow energy at Aizen's fingertip, before six beams of light suddenly appeared at slammed together at Gin's midsection. Ichigo's eyebrow rose in curiosity. "This Bakudō completely immobilizes your target, as you can see."

It was obvious that Gin was trying to move his limbs, but couldn't, despite his attempt to break free. It was useless though, the spell holding strong. Then, with a flick of his wrist, Aizen cancelled the spell, freeing Gin.

"If you would like to know the incantation, it is 'Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six." Aizen informed Ichigo, waiting to see Ichigo's attempt. Ichigo nodded and pointed at Gin, just as Aizen had done.

"**Bakudo Sixty-One! Rikujokoro!**" Ichigo declared. Mirroring what he had seen Aizen do moments earlier in terms of stance and reiatsu, Ichigo cast the spell. Ichigo's fingertip sparked, right before six beams of light slammed into Gin's midsection, effectively immobilizing him. It seemed to be perfect, but the beams of light seemed to be crackling with energy.

"Ow… ow… ow." Gin repeated in monotone, his eyes slightly open. Ichigo observed curiously, then looked at Aizen.

"Is that supposed to happen?" He asked with a sweat drop.

"Decidedly no." Aizen answered, also observing curiously. "Though, I could see such usefulness in the technique, particularly if the electricity could be amplified."

"Ow."

"Yeah, I see your point. If it was strong enough, getting caught by the spell would be the end of the fight." Ichigo observed, trying to recall how he had done the spell to make it this way.

"Ow."

"This is most curious. I'm surprised I hadn't thought of it. Using a Bakudō with the reiatsu manipulation of a Hadō." Aizen was going through the list of Bakudō in his head for examples that could be made destructive.

"Is that what I did?" Ichigo questioned. "In that case, it might be better to learn some Hadō to get that, what was it, 'reiatsu manipulation' down." He blinked, feeling dumb.

"Ok, ow."

"That would be most beneficial. Perhaps later." Aizen told Ichigo. "It is time I return to the Soul Society." Ichigo blinked.

"The Soul Society? What for?" He asked confused.

"Oh, I've forgotten to tell you. Gin-san, Tosen, and myself are masquerading as Captains of the Gotei Thirteen." He said, quite pleased with himself at the fact.

"Starting to hurt."

"Really? Wow." Ichigo replied. That was definitely an advantage. "What are you planning to do there?"

"All in due time." Aizen answered stoically.

"I'd like to know." Ichigo said, a little seriously. "It'd only help."

"Perhaps." Aizen almost shrugged.

"Pain."

"For now, my operations in Soul Society will remain on a need to know basis." He told Ichigo, who sighed.

"Fine, whatever." Ichigo conceded. "I think it's about time I see how my Fraccion are doing. They might be done with their training exercise."

"Training them? Aizen raised an eyebrow.

"First, my Fraccion. Then, the Numeros. Then, the Espada." Ichigo smirked mischievously.

"Oh really?" Aizen asked. "That would be most amusing."

"It will be." Ichigo vowed.

"Then go ahead and return to your Fraccion." Aizen told Ichigo. "But first…" He trailed off, gesturing to Gin.

"Oh, whoops." Ichigo cancelled the Bakudō right away, releasing Gin. "My bad."

"No worries, Kurosaki-san." Gin waved him off, slightly twitching. "It was a 'shocking' experience." He said humorously. Ichigo sweat dropped.

"If you say so." He shrugged. "Later." With that, Ichigo disappeared with Sonido.

"Gin, why didn't you simply dispel Kurosaki-san's attack?" Aizen asked, turning to Gin.

"I tried." Gin frowned. "I couldn't. It was like trying to escape from a Bakudō you cast… plus, it hurt." He added.

"Interesting."

**(Outside of Ichigo's Palace)**

"Sleeping on the job?" Ichigo asked Loly and Menoly, a small grin on his face to show he wasn't serious.

"Shove… it." Loly managed, looking up at him, her chin on the rough sand.

"It's not what it looks like, Ichigo-sama." Menoly explained. Unlike her sister, whom was unceremoniously splayed out on the sand, Menoly was sitting up. Of course, it looked strenuous for her to do so. "We just finished the exercise a few minutes ago and we were waiting for you."

"You finished?" Ichigo was surprised, and impressed. "All three hundred?"

"Yes, sir." Menoly nodded respectfully. Ichigo whistled.

_**(An Hour and a Half Ago)**_

_Ichigo had given Loly a couple of minutes to rest after her display of rebellion before he got started with his training plan for them. What he had in mind was simple really. Just a simple Sonido exercise._

"_So, what exactly is it you'll have us doing to get faster?" Loly asked, ready to start. Menoly stood next to her sister at attention. Ok, Loly would admit she a little anxious. If Ichigo was really going to teach them how to become even remotely fast as he was, it might be worth it._

"_It's easy." Ichigo assured them. He raised a hand up and beckoned Loly. "Come here." Loly blinked, but did as she was told and walked up to stand in front of Ichigo. Ichigo then took a step to his left. "Now, Sonido next to me."_

_Again, Loly blinked, but reluctantly did as she was told. With Sonido, she vanished from her spot and appeared a foot to her left, standing next to Ichigo. Ichigo nodded at her, then took two steps to his right._

"_Again." He instructed. Menoly already caught on to what they were going to be doing. Loly, now becoming slightly annoyed at the thought of being teased, Sonido'd again and appeared next to him. "Now, do you understand what I'm having you do?"_

"_Uh, no." Loly deadpanned._

"_You want us to use Sonido over and over again, going a couple feet farther with each use?" Menoly answered with a question. Ichigo grinned._

"_What does that accomplish?" Loly asked, starting to think this was a waste._

"_You'll see, ok?" Ichigo said, still grinning. "Three hundred times. Back and forth, non-stop. Got it?" It looked liked he was about to receive a protest, but he continued before it could be heard. "I'm going to go ask Aizen something. Therefore, I won't be here to watch you two. So, I won't be able to make sure you do it while I'm gone, but it would be better if you did." He said, mischievously. Loly sighed, exasperated, but only nodded._

"_Yes, sir." Menoly affirmed with an eager nod. The exercise was so simple it was funny. What could go wrong?_

"_I'll see you two later."_

**(Present Time)**

"I must say, I'm impressed." Ichigo told them. "Good job."

Menoly grinned briefly, glad that she hadn't disappointed him. She then rested her head on her arms. Loly simply groaned to confirm that she had heard Ichigo.

"Training's over for today. You two should probably get some rest." Ichigo advised them.

"I can't move." Loly told him, managing to turn her head to rest her cheek on the ground. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Don't be overdramatic." He said, looking amused.

"I'm not!" Loly protested. "My legs feel like mush… and I can't feel my arms."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Ichigo asked sarcastically.

"You know something? You're heavy." Ichigo complained. This comment was rewarded with a sharp whack to his head from Loly.

"Shut up! I am not, you asshole!" Loly growled out, actually appearing menacing. Ichigo almost gulped, then he noticed something.

"Oh, look at that. You can move again." He said, turning his head slightly to look at her with a smirk. Loly twitched.

"So what if I can? Don't be lazy." She retorted. Loly was certainly enjoying this, despite her outward attitude. While she had been surprised when Ichigo had agreed, albeit reluctantly, it served as a perfect way to get back at him. However, she was enjoying it for… another reason. She did find that she liked his touch on her legs. Loly blushed lightly. Menoly was walking behind them, walking quietly, and watching them. "Now, deliver me to my room-wah!"

Ichigo let go of Loly, dropping her on the couch in the common area of their Palace. "Don't push it." Ichigo said, holding back a laugh. Loly pouted, before she got comfortable on the couch, intending to go to sleep immediately. Ichigo shook his head.

"What're you going to do?" He asked turning to Menoly.

"I don't know." Menoly admitted. "Is there, um, something I can get you?" She asked awkwardly. Ichigo only grinned at her offer, but shook his head.

"No thanks." He politely declined.

"Well, ok. What are you going to do?" Menoly asked him curiously.

"No clue." Ichigo deadpanned. "Maybe help Szayel? Nnoitora said he wanted to fight me, perhaps I could do that. Or, I could just practice my Bakudō."

"Bakudō? You learned Bakudō" Menoly asked, surprised.

"Oh. Yeah. When you mentioned it yesterday, I wanted to find out more about it. Well, you know how I told you I wanted to ask Aizen something while you two were training?" He asked, to which Menoly nodded, recalling it. "I went and asked him to teach me some Bakudō. He did, surprisingly. When I get it down, I can teach you if you want." He offered.

"Oh. That'd be… great." Menoly answered, taken aback by the offer. "Really, it would."

"Alright. Just say when." Ichigo told her. He turned and began to leave. "Catch ya later."

"Bye." Menoly replied, before Ichigo vanished.

**(The Primera's Palace)**

"Harribel-san?" Starrk blinked at the Tercera's unexpected arrival.

"Starrk-san, Lilynette-chan." Harribel greeted with a slight nod of her head.

"Hi, Harribel-sama!" Lilynette greeted happily. She then grinned awkwardly and scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. "Should I leave?"

"That is not necessary. I would like both of your opinions on something." Harribel told her. Starrk sighed.

"What is it?" He asked, a little disinterested.

"I have my own concerns, but I want to know what you thought." Harribel told him. "What do you think of our new Cero?" She asked bluntly. Starrk opened his mouth to say something.

"He's funny." Lilynette grinned, answered before Starrk could. Harribel raised an eyebrow. "He's pretty cool, too."

"Hm, indeed." Harribel replied, to which Lilynette pouted cutely at being dismissed.

"I've only talked to the guy once, and it was before he became the Cero." Starrk began, appearing to be contemplating his answer. "I think he's a good man."

"Really?" Harribel was taken aback. She hadn't been expecting that answer, especially from Starrk.

"Yes." Starrk scratched his goatee, feeling a little odd. "It may be strange… but it's just a feeling I have, and I've learned to trust my instincts."

"…" Harribel said nothing.

"What about you?" Starrk asked, lowering his hand and putting both of them in his pockets lazily.

"I am… unsure. I can't help but feel suspicious about his intentions." Harribel admitted. "He seems too… different."

"How so?" Starrk asked.

"He appears to be taking his rank into stride." Harribel told him. Starrk frowned deeply. "Not as you think, though. Ichigo…sama appears to be befriending the Espada."

"That's… bad?" Starrk raised an eyebrow. He certainly couldn't find any fault with that.

"Like I said, he's different. I am simply curious about his intentions." Harribel said, adjusting her arms comfortably.

"Look, he hasn't given me any reason to be his enemy." Starrk told her sternly.

"I know." Harribel almost sighed reluctantly.

"You're thinking too hard. Perhaps what the Espadas need are some camaraderie with each other?" He suggested, personally liking the idea for obvious reasons.

"I find that highly unlikely." Harribel said blankly.

"Well, no one's ever tried. You and I talk, but that's about it." Starrk said. "What's he doing?"

"From what I can tell, he has already befriended Szayel. Though he would deny it, I believe it is the same with him and Grimmjow." Harribel answered. "I can't help but keep a close eye on him."

"Hn."

"Currently, he is sparring with Nnoitora." Harribel informed.

"I'm tired." Starrk said suddenly. Harribel twitched in annoyance, but didn't argue with the Primera, deciding it would be a waste of time.

"Expect a visit from him soon." Harribel warned, turning swiftly on her heel to leave. Starrk merely watched her leave with a disinterested expression. When Harribel left, Lilynette spoke up.

"You're not really going back to sleep, are you?" She whined out.

"Yep" was his blunt answer.

"Oh, come on! You _just _got up!" Lilynette protested.

"Yeah, and now I'm tired again." Starrk said, covering a yawn with a gloved hand.

"Fine! I'm going out then!" Lilynette threatened. Starrk stared blankly.

"No you're not." He challenged.

"Yes I am!" Lilynette shot back. She began to walk away. "See?"

"Uh-huh."

"Yeah, I'll go out. I'll have loads of fun too! Then come back hours from now!" Lilynette declared. Starrk had already turned around to go to his room.

"Don't get lost" was all he said before disappearing up the stairs.

"Grr." Lilynette growled. What now? Go ahead and stay? No. No way. She'd show Starrk, the lazy ass, she could find something to do. But what to do?" "Hm…"

She snapped her fingers. Harribel had said Ichigo was sparring with Nnoitora, right? Nnoitora's palace actually wasn't that far away from Starrk's, and it might be fun to watch. It was decided. Lilynette would go watch the fight. She broke off into a jog and left the palace.

Starrk was already fast asleep and unaware of his Fraccion's departure.

**(Near Nnoitora's Palace)**

"You're not half-bad, Nnoitora!" Ichigo called out, smirking, as he jumped back a few feet to avoid a long swipe from Nnoitora's unique zanpakuto. Nnoitora suddenly rushed Ichigo, swinging strongly and precisely.

"Flattery will get you nowhere!" Nnoitora replied, smirking wildly. The two exchanged parries briefly, before Nnoitora brought his large weapon up into the air. "Come on!" He swung it down at Ichigo. Holding his stance firmly, Ichigo brought his zanpakuto up and blocked the strong attack. Right away, Nnoitora brought his zanpakuto to his side and swung it again, horizontally, at Ichigo.

Ichigo leaned back to dodge the wide attack, but Nnoitora suddenly stopped mid-attack, his weapon right above Ichigo. Nnoitora stabbed forward, intending to catch Ichigo in the throat with the blade of the forward crescent. Cursing inwardly, Ichigo reacted. Bringing his own blade up, he blocked the strike. He immediately followed through with a riposte, making Nnoitora's blade slide forward. Under his guard, Ichigo thrust forward with his zanpakuto, aiming for the stomach. Before the attack could be followed through, Ichigo suddenly had to jump up into the air as Nnoitora pulled his weapon back sharply, aiming for Ichigo's midsection with the reverse crescent of the weapon.

Ichigo landed a few meters away. Nnoitora was smirking at him. He was good, Ichigo admitted inwardly with an outward smirk of his own. The rules of the fight were set up to make things interesting. It was simple really. No Sonido or Resurreccion. It was definitely testing Ichigo's ability with just the blade, something Nnoitora seemed to have an advantage with, for obvious reasons. The Quinto definitely thought on his feet, and Ichigo respected that.

"Tired, Cero?" Nnoitora taunted.

"Who, me? No. You looked winded so I thought I'd give you a few seconds." Ichigo taunted right back. Nnoitora laughed loudly.

"I hate to say it, but you're wrong!" He declared proudly. Spinning his large weapon in a display of strength, Nnoitora cut the sand below him as he got into a stance. "Come on, Cero!"

Ichigo jumped forward and slashed vertically at Nnoitora. Quickly angling his polearm, Nnoitora blocked the attack with the staff of his weapon. The two entered a small battle of dominance, pushing against the other strongly. Then, Nnoitora suddenly spun his weapon, knocking Ichigo's zanpakuto away from his person and bringing the double crescents down on Ichigo.

Spinning to regain his footing, Ichigo blocked the attack where the two crescents met. For his lanky build, Nnoitora was surprisingly strong. However, Ichigo could see many improvements that could be made to Nnoitora's attacks and defense. For example-

"You're wide open." Ichigo smirked. Nnoitora laughed.

"So what if I am?" He asked. "Both of your hands are indisposed at the moment!"

"Oh really?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow. Nnoitora then noticed Ichigo's left hand. "Bala."

"Crap-" was all Nnoitora managed before the blast hit him, sending him backwards into a large boulder. It had been a rather weak Bala, in truth, but Ichigo hadn't intended it to harm Nnoitora.

"If that had been one of my regular Bala, you'd be dead or incapacitated." Ichigo informed casually. Nnoitora stood up. There wasn't a wound on him.

"Tch, is that so? Perhaps you don't know! I have the strongest Hierro of all the Espada!" Nnoitora announced. It was obvious he took great pride in the fact. "You could never so much as cut me!"

Ichigo would have retorted, but held his tongue. This he could use. He smirked. "We'll see."

"Give it your best shot!" Nnoitora challenged.

"Are you sure?" Ichigo asked slyly.

"Huh?"

Ichigo didn't answer. Instead, he charged Nnoitora. However, something was off about his zanpakuto. It was being held backwards, meaning the blunt side was facing Nnoitora rather than the sharp side.

"Just what do you intend to do with _that_?" Nnoitora shouted, before getting ready to block. When Ichigo wasn't swinging his weapon, Nnoitora took the initiative and made an attack of his own. He brought his weapon into the air, and then brought it down to catch Ichigo on the head painfully.

Ichigo sidestepped the attack suddenly, causing the weapon to strike the ground strongly. He spun into Nnoitora's guard, and then swung his zanpakuto as you would a baseball bat.

_Clang!_

The blunt side of Ichigo's blade struck Nnoitora in the head. To Nnoitora's complete surprise, it hurt, a lot. His ears were ringing and his vision seemed to blur from the blunt trauma. He was disoriented. Ichigo didn't stop though. Bringing his right arm back, he struck Nnoitora in the stomach three consecutive times with the hilt of his zanpakuto. Again, it hurt Nnoitora more than he thought it would have.

Nnoitora's grip on his weapon failed. He dropped it and coughed violently a couple of times. Managing to look at Ichigo, he tried to speak. "H-how the fu-?"

"I don't have to cut you to beat you. You've probably got some internal bruising there." Ichigo told him, sheathing his zanpakuto confidently. Nnoitora sneered.

"You bastard." Regaining his composure, Nnoitora suddenly grabbed his weapon again. Ichigo suddenly had a hand on the staff of Nnoitora's weapon, holding firmly in place. His free hand was opened and on Nnoitora's stomach.

"I win." Ichigo said with a slight smirk.

"Like hell you do!" Nnoitora brought his head back and then forward, head butting Ichigo. Ichigo's own head went back, as if the attack had hurt him. Then, Ichigo came back with a head butt of his own, striking Nnoitora in the forehead. It hadn't hurt Nnoitora that much, but it surprised the hell out of him. The Cero had a pair.

"You could improve." Ichigo said, releasing his grip on Nnoitora's zanpakuto. He took a couple of steps back.

"Bull-." Nnoitora began before Ichigo cut him off.

"I'll admit your Hierro is strong, very strong, compared to the other Espada." Ichigo told him. "But, like I said, I don't have to cut you to beat you."

"…" Nnoitora remained quiet, slightly curious as to what Ichigo was getting at.

"Your Hierro could be as hard as steel, and steel is hard to cut." Ichigo brought a hand up. A cero began to charge. "But it can be melted." The cero was dispelled. "It can be bent, too." He tapped his zanpakuto hilt.

"What're you getting at?" Nnoitora narrowed his eye.

"You're the Quinto, Nnoitora, but if you continue to fight the way you do now, you'll be easy prey to someone who knows basic Kido." Ichigo warned. "Killed off by some 'no-name' isn't much of an honorable end."

"Tch" Nnoitora's pride kept him from saying anything else. Ichigo was right. Nnoitora didn't know much about Kido, but, from watching Aizen, he knew it only took a couple flicks of the wrist to immobilize and kill someone with it. "What the hell are you suggesting?"

"It's up to you, Nnoitora, but I'd be willing to fight you whenever you wanted. Just seek me out and we'll go at it. And, if you'll let me, perhaps I can simply point a couple of things out as we fight." Ichigo offered carefully, knowing he could very well be insulting Nnoitora, rather than offering to help.

"Forget that." Nnoitora spat out bitterly. "The only thing I like about that is fighting whenever I feel like it. I'll do just that."

"Done" Ichigo nodded. Nnoitora stared for a couple of seconds, before he rested his weapon on his shoulder and turned. This was hidden from Ichigo's sight, but Nnoitora had his other hand on his stomach, trying to relieve the soreness.

Ichigo sighed in relief, and then grinned at his accomplishment. Nnoitora didn't say it, but Ichigo understood sure enough. That was three down, six to go. Whom should he try to befriend next? He sighed. Slowly, but surely.

"Waah!"

_Plop!_

Ichigo had turned just in time to see someone fall from a boulder onto the sand below. The person, someone Ichigo could tell was a she, was rather small. He then recognized her as Lilynette, Starrk's Fraccion. So that's why he had gotten the nagging feeling that he was being watched during the fight. He approached Lilynette as she spat out sand.

"Uh, Lilynette-san?" Ichigo asked with a slight sweat drop. At being addressed, Lilynette suddenly jumped up and patted the sand off her quickly.

"Oh, Ichigo-sama! I-I'm sorry! I just wanted to watch." Lilynette said frantically. She didn't know why she was afraid. After all, Starrk had said there was nothing to worry about. She calmed down when Ichigo only grinned at her.

"No problem. I hope I put on a show." Ichigo said, hoping to calm the young girl down. Lilynette, now completely calm, nodded happily.

"Yeah, that was awesome! You kicked Nnoitora's butt." She announced, still picturing the fight perfectly. "I wish I could do that stuff." She admitted with a lopsided grin.

"It wasn't that big of a deal." Ichigo said sheepishly, feeling humbled by the young girl. "Is Starrk with you? Or-?"

"No. That no-good, lazy, pain in the ass-." Lilynette continued the string of insults for a good minute, Ichigo staring at her blankly. Only when she realized what she was doing, and saying, did she stop and blush. "Err, sorry."

"Heh, no problem." Ichigo waved her off. "I'm guessing he… did something."

"No, and that's just it! He never does anything! It's so boring around the palace." Lilynette said, sighing in an overdramatic fashion. "I just wanted to find something to do for once, rather than just sit around."

"Hm. What are you going to do now?" Ichigo asked curiously. Lilynette blinked, finding that she didn't know.

"I, uh, don't know." She admitted. "Wanna play tag or something?" She asked suddenly. Ichigo blinked, with an amused grin on his face.

"What?" He almost chuckled. Lilynette had the dignity to blush.

"Err, never mind. I'm sorry, that was stupid-." She began to apologize, before Ichigo waved his hand at her.

"No, no. It's no problem. I'm just surprised." Ichigo assured her. The little girl was certainly full of energy. While it would appear odd, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Besides, Lilynette actually seemed pretty kind and innocent. "Play what?"

"Uhhhh, tag?" She asked, embarrassed.

"Sonido or no Sonido?" Ichigo asked right away. He then saw Lilynette's expression turn upside down, becoming quite let down.

"I… don't know Sonido." She admitted, feeling pathetic.

"You don't?" Ichigo blinked. "Sorry, but… how do you not know?"

"I don't know!' Lilynette almost yelled. It was obvious she didn't like to be talked down to. Ichigo reeled back slightly at her outburst. "Um, I mean… I'm sorry, I just-."

"This is unacceptable." Ichigo said suddenly, slightly frightening Lilynette. "Would you like to be taught how?" Lilynette stared.

"Wait, you mean-?" She began.

"If you want, I'd be more than happy to teach you how. After all, it's a necessity." Ichigo told her, grinning in a friendly way.

"Wow! Really?" Lilynette's mood took a one-eighty. She was happier and more excited than she remembered being in a long time. "That'd be frickin awesome!"

"Alright, let's get started then." Ichigo told her. It might be difficult to teach her how to, but he'd figure it out. He turned swiftly, beckoning Lilynette to follow. She did so with a very enthusiastic bounce in her step.

"Ok, just bare with me, it can be hard to explain." Ichigo warned her, to which she only nodded. Now in a clearing, free of boulders and other obstacles, Ichigo stopped. He turned to look down at her. "Alright, now the first thing you need to do is concentrate your reiatsu, particularly in your legs, after that…"

**(One Hour Later)**

_Bzzt!_

Lilynette suddenly found herself a good twenty feet away from the spot she had been standing at moments earlier. She blinked, looked around a little, and then back towards Ichigo. He was grinning at her, looking proud.

"I did it." She said to herself. The calm exterior was soon replaced with absolute excitement. "Yes, yes! I did it! Haha!" Lilynette ran around, jumping into the air, pumping her fists happily. "Did you see that? I did a Sonido!"

"Hah, good job Lilynette." Ichigo congratulated, quite proud of Lilynette.

"Stark will be surprised as hell!" Lilynette announced, feeling quite giddy. "I can't wait to see the look on his face." She looked over at Ichigo and saw that he was about to walk towards her. "No, wait!"

_Bzzt!_

With another Sonido, Lilynette appeared in front of Ichigo. She had that huge grin on her face again. "Teehee." She gave a peace sign.

"Good job. Really." He said honestly, patting the top of her head, which of course was her mask fragment. Lilynette had the decency to be embarrassed. No one had ever really been genuinely proud of her before. "Practice that as often as you can and you'll master it in no time."

"Aye, aye." Lilynette mock-saluted with her index and middle finger. Ichigo nodded.

"Ready to head back to your place, then?" Ichigo asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Yeah, I guess." Lilynette shrugged, feeling slightly disappointed at having to go back to the palace. She then got an idea. "Oh, I know! I can show you the palace." She suggested happily. Ichigo shrugged.

"Sure, if you want." He replied, nodding.

"Cool! Come on! Let's Sonido there." Lilynette suggested, excited in the fact that she can suggest it now. Ichigo actually chuckled.

"Good idea. Faster that way." He told her.

"Race ya?" Lilynette asked, feeling competitive. Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"That may not be a good idea. Don't wanna overdo it." Ichigo warned, frowning slightly. "When you've gotten better at it, then we can race. How about that?" Lilynette nodded.

"Ok."

"Well, lead the way." Ichigo gestured with his hand. Lilynette took a slight stance, and then disappeared.

_Bzzt!_

Ichigo shook his head, and then followed his temporary pupil back to the Primera's Palace.

**(The Primera's Palace)**

"Lilynette?" Starrk called out, glancing around in a tired fashion. Where had she gone? Was she serious earlier? Did she actually leave the palace to find something to do? He furrowed his brow in concern. He hadn't expected her to really go through with it. Now he was worried. He then sensed her, she was in the Palace. She was also with someone else. He heard her voice coming down the hallway.

"And-and this is the common area." He heard her say overzealously. Just then, she came into sight, looking back at their guest. It was the Cero. Starrk narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Lilynette then saw Starrk. "Oh, Starrk. You're finally up, huh?" She teased.

"… where were you?" Starrk asked her. Lilynette blinked.

"I went out and had some fun. That's what I did." Lilynette told him, grinning happily. She then snapped her fingers. "Oh, right. Check this out!"

_Bzzt!_

Lilynette appeared next to Starrk, giving him a peace sign with her right hand, her grin only larger now. "Ta-da!" Now, Starrk was surprised, and his expression showed it. Last he knew, Lilynette didn't know Sonido.

"You learned Sonido?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Where did you-?"

"Ichigo-sama taught me how to!" Lilynette interrupted him, predicting the question. She pointed back at the Cero.

"Hm." Starrk looked from Lilynette to Ichigo. "Lilynette, could you excuse us for a second or two? I want to… thank the Cero." Lilynette's grin faded, but she nodded nonetheless.

"Uh, sure" she replied. Giving Ichigo one last wave, she turned and left the room rather quickly, not liking Starrk's expression. Starrk looked over at Ichigo.

"Heh, she told me she didn't know Sonido." Ichigo said sheepishly. "So I offered to teach her. Kid learned it pretty fast too. I was impressed."

"Where did you find her?" Starrk asked, looking intently at Ichigo.

"Oh, she had been watching me spar with Nnoitora." Ichigo answered, thinking back. "When I was done, she kinda fell off the boulder she was watching from."

"Why did you teach her Sonido?" Starrk suddenly asked not appearing to be interested in the answers and explanations Ichigo had been giving him. Ichigo's carefree expression turned serious.

"Is there a problem, Starrk-san? If so, then just say it, will ya?" He said, looking just as intently at the Primera.

"No. No problem." Starrk answered simply.

"Look, I'm sorry if you didn't want me to teach her." Ichigo apologized, scratching his head. "I just figured it'd be better for her to know a vital technique that we Arrancar use."

"Yeah… I suppose you're right." Starrk sighed. "Sorry. I just… worry about her." He apologized awkwardly.

"Then why haven't you taught her something like Sonido yet?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow accusingly. Starrk stared back at him.

"I'd rather not say." He told Ichigo.

"Well, if you're really not going to train her, then I'd be more than happy to." Ichigo offered. Something close to a glare was coming from Starrk now, alerting Ichigo that he should probably back off now. "Or not." He said sheepishly. "I guess I'll go now. Either way, can you tell Lilynette she's welcome to join my Fraccion and I when I train them." Starrk said nothing in return. Ichigo took that as the signal to leave. He waved once then turned and left.

"Lilynette, you were listening?" Starrk suddenly asked.

"Hey! You didn't have to be such a jerk." Lilynette told him, rounding the corner back into the room. Starrk raised an eyebrow, surprised. A jerk wasn't something he was called too much, considering he tried not to be most of the time.

"Look, I'm just concerned. Perhaps Harribel was right. Maybe there's something else he's trying to do?" Starrk tried to convince her. As much as he would have admired Ichigo for his actions, Harribel's statement earlier kept him from it. He was just… suspicious of Ichigo's intentions.

"He's not doing anything wrong. Jeez!" Lilynette said, exasperated. "Ichigo-sama's awesome. He taught me Sonido, and I want to learn more." Starrk sighed.

"Alright, alright, alright. Just… if you're going to go train with him again, tell me so I can come along." He told her. Lilynette looked surprised, but nodded anyways.

"Alright, you and Harribel will see. Ichigo-sama's not evil."

"Hm… I expect you're right." Starrk conceded with a shrug.

"I am." Lilynette said proudly, turning, crossing her arms, and sticking her nose high in the air. Starrk could only sweat drop.

**(Ichigo's Palace)**

Ichigo entered the common area of his palace, his hands in his pockets. He glanced around the room briefly to see if anyone else was in here. Not quite to his surprise, Loly was still napping on the couch. Upon closer inspection, Ichigo could see drool trickling out of her mouth. Ichigo would have laughed if doing so wouldn't have woken her up. He heard movement and turned his head to see Menoly enter the room. It looked like she was about to ask him something, so Ichigo brought his hand up to shush her. At her confused expression, Ichigo pointed at Loly, biting back a snicker. Menoly looked at her sister, then suppressed a giggle of her own. Ichigo turned and walked over to Menoly, then past her, down the hallway.

"Welcome back, Ichigo-sama." Menoly said once they were no longer within disrupting range of Loly's nap.

"Anything terribly interesting happen while I was gone?" Ichigo asked her, nodding his head in return of her greeting. Menoly shook her head.

"Not really. Loly-chan's been sleeping ever since we've been done with training. I guess I haven't been doing anything at all." Menoly said sheepishly. "What did you do? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Sparred with Nnoitora." Ichigo told her. "That went well. Then, I taught Lilynette how to use Sonido." Menoly blinked at what she had heard.

"Lilynette? As in, Starrk-sama's Fraccion" she asked to clarify.

"Yep. Turns out, she didn't know how to use Sonido. So, I fixed the problem." Ichigo explained.

"Oh, speaking of which, when will our next training session be?" Menoly asked, now reminded of the subject.

"Tomorrow. Same time, same place." Ichigo answered, half-grinning at her. Menoly sighed.

"So soon?" She almost complained.

"The sooner the better, right?" Ichigo asked her, biting back a laugh at her tired expression. "Trust me, it'll help."

"It's not that I doubt it will... it's just tiring." Menoly admitted with a slight chuckle.

"That's the point." Ichigo told her. He then looked around, before changing the subject. "I'm pretty worn out. I think I'm going to get some sleep. I think there's an Espada Meeting tomorrow" Ichigo said, picturing what that would be like.

"Oh, ok. I'll just leave you alone then." Menoly told him. She bowed slightly, before returning to her own devices. Alone, Ichigo went to his room. He made some progress today, and it pleased him he was able to do so. He also made a couple new friends. That's always good, right?

Hopefully something important would be discussed at tomorrow's meeting. Wouldn't it be something if he got some sort of assignment? Perhaps in the World of the Living too. That'd be a great opportunity for him to do a couple of things. Among others, visiting his mother's grave would be the first he could do. Ichigo's expression suddenly turned somber, before he shook his head to clear his thoughts.

Alright, who was next? Harribel? Maybe. Zommari? Not yet. Ulquiorra? ...Perhaps. Ichigo was definitely curious as to just who the Cuarta was. He didn't appear to talk much, so Ichigo couldn't really discern what kind of person he was, other than quiet and perhaps calculating. Well, he'd get around to it tomorrow. Now in his room, Ichigo went straight to his bed and collapsed down on it. Within minutes, he was asleep.

_**(End of Chapter/Dat one thing Authors leave at the end of a story)**_

**Sorry about the ending there :/ I had trouble thinking of a way to end the chapter. Hope it was somewhat sufficient. What did you think? Got to see some more IchigoxLoly and stuff, got to Ichigo interacting with Nnoitora, Lilynette, Starrk, Aizen, and stuff. And, here's your musical piece for the day!**

**Band:Avenged Sevenfold**

**Song:Descrate through Reverence(Not the chorus though)**

_**Hard news! Taken harder! Don't look to me! Disappointed, we don't agree! I don't need your praise! (don't look my way for help, from the beggining you came to me) Never asked you to like me! I don't want your praise(we won't play your games) **_

**From the 'Waking the Fallen' album. I must say, this is my favorite song of theirs. The first minute and a half is 'meh', but when the lyrics above start... *Mosh pit headbanging whilst listening***

**Well, there ya go. Please read and review. Constructive Criticism is welcome, but flamers will be hunted down and beaten up by me personally, I assure you.**

**And today's recommended stories(Yes... these choices are very much biased :D)**

**Author:btalover**

**Story:Different Bodies, Same Heart**

**I can't say much about the plot, seeing as it's only one chapter. But, I like it and suggest you read it... it's IchigoxLolyyyy**

**Author:halberd42**

**Story:Under the Circumstances**

**Another IchigoxLoly, yo! For those who know Bleach well, you know that Harribel, her Fraccion, and Loly are shown to have survived the war. This story follows up on that**

**Author:Desuse**

**Story:The Opposite of Reality:**

**An ArrancarIchigoxHarem story. No IchigoxLoly, or Menoly T_T BUT! It does have Apacci, Sung-Sun, Mila-Rose, et cetera! Check it out!**


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